Rebirth
by KuroyamiAkai
Summary: It's the end of Dana Bahn and the tragic story of Iason Mink and his pet. But what will happen if...the story doesn't end there? What if Iason Mink returned and Riki never did die...and what if, even worse, the blondy doesn't remember? Continues from the end of the eight book of Ai No Kusabi. My own version of how the continuation would be.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Midas, the city that never sleeps. As its translucent lights shimmered through the ever lively streets, people prowled the streets in search of pleasure and entertainment, time is all within their grasp. They drink through the night and drown themselves in worldly pleasure, oblivious to anything but their own desires.

It has been a year since the collapse of the old building, Dana-Bahn. The building that once housed the rebellion that turned Ceres into the slums it is today suddenly exploded and gave way, bringing down part of Midas's great city with it. The incident however was covered up with mere excuses by the elites and the damaged districts were repaired. Everything went back to how it was and soon, people began to forget.

The incident was no longer mentioned in the daily gossips of Midas's citizens. The topic died down and was soon forgotten. Yet only a few would still remember, a memory carved into the back of their minds….

It was certainly not early, nor was it late. Yet however, a certain person slowly made his way through the dimly-lit corridors of Eos tower, not in a hurry to be anywhere in particular. His footsteps echoed through the silence, his face fixed on a blank expression as he ponders through the contents of his thought.  
His whole being felt light, fresh, as expected of a newly constructed body. Out of reasons he could not recall, his memories had been transferred into this new body only a month ago.

Iason Mink stared at his gloved palm; everything felt the same to him regardless. This is what it meant to be a blondy, a being far more superior to the humans, the elites of the elites.  
Iason had woken up one day in Raoul Am's laboratory, noticing the change almost immediately. As to why, he did not bother questioning, there was no need to. Iason was soon clothed and was up and about again.  
"A blondy is a superior being," is what they always say "There is no point to attempt assassination for they can always be reborn,"

Superior as he is, there is however one thing that clouds Iason's thoughts. A gap of void in his transferred memory here and there, questions he couldn't answer. Has the data of his previous being been corrupted that even Raoul could not fix?  
Alas, even Raoul did not intend to answer this for that would be an acknowledgement of his lack of power, one thing a prideful elite blondy such as him would not dare admit.  
So the question was soon pushed to the back of Iason Mink's mind, suppress by daily problems the system faced and heavy workloads expected from the head of the syndicate.

"As of Jupiter's wish," the blondy sighed. He knew that one day he would confront his friend again about the lack of memory but for now he would let it slide.


	2. Chapter 1

Katze watched through the screen from his headquarters into a room locked from the outside world. In the corner sat a young man with dark hair and bottles scattered all around him. He sighed. Alchohol was never a good drink for someone on the way to recovery yet Katze couldn't blame that person who sat motionless in his monitor. Riki had been trapped in that room for almost a year now, thanks to him.

It was just barely after the events of Dana-Bahn that happened almost a year ago. Riki was found in the rubbles when the search of Iason Mink's body was demanded by Raoul Am. However, while supervising the process, Katze had found Riki's body unconscious and barely alive curled underneath Iason's huge stature. Even with the missing limbs, Iason Mink had managed to protect his lover from doom.

Katze knew that he needed to inform Raoul Am about the previous blondy's pet, but somehow, something at the back of his mind stopped him from doing so. Carefully, he took charge of the unconscious mongrel and brought him to this place, where Katze would later send in doctors from the underground channels. His condition wasn't good, but thankfully it was stable enough for his life to be preserved. Broken bones however were the least of their worries, but thanks to modern medical technologies, the prideful mongrel pet was nursed to health.

However, to Riki, escaping the rubbles of Dana-Bahn was not something to be proud of or anything. In fact, he loathed the fact that he was still alive. He could still remember what happened that day, when he decided to end his life with the person he once hated, the person he once thought of as the icon of pain and torture to him.  
Yet somehow he loved Iason. That was a fact that he finally embraced when he went into the rubble to be with the blondy. If Iason Mink should die, then he would be by his side.

But things never did ever go according to what Riki planned or fancies. When that poisonous cigarette was lit, Iason however snatched it from his lips before he could barely have a breath of it. Confused but not given the time to react, Riki's last memory was of Iason's gentle smile, a smile he had yet seen as the blondy shifted above him, whispering into his ears:

"You must live on,"

The next thing he knew was that he had awakened in this room after months of being unconscious, Katze suddenly responsible of his wellbeing.

"Why would you be so cruel as to commit me into this?" Riki often questions, "Even in death you would not free me from your grasp,"  
Riki had lost everything. Not only had he lost his group, Bison and Guy who was his previous pairing partner and the person responsible for the chaos, even his pride as a man was completely ripped away from him. But that wasn't enough. He wasn't even given the mercy to depart with his beloved. Iason Mink himself had see to that. His final words and his face etched into the mongrel's mind.

Now, all he could do is to drown himself in the drinks he rummage through. The injuries sustained previously had mostly healed leaving scars of all shapes and sizes scattered all over his skin. Katze had locked him here but Riki swore he would break himself out of this humid room as soon as he had the energy to.

Katze turned off the monitor and leaned back on his chair, taking a long drag on his cigarette. He had cooperated with Raoul Am long enough to extract Iason Mink's damaged body out of the ruins and miraculously manage to hid away the recuperating Riki from Raoul's knowledge. However, how long would this continue?

There is no doubt that he could not continue to hide Riki. He was aware that the restless mongrel would not want to stay cooped up in that room. Even in the slums, Raoul will catch wind of it. The consequences would be heavy. What precious remains of Riki's life that they manage to revive back might even be terminated.  
Katze wasn't sure to what ends he would shield Riki. He wasn't even sure why he was doing it. Perhaps Riki's actions had moved him. After all, Katze acknowledges that Riki had manage to change Iason, even ever so slightly.

Suddenly, his screen chimed. Leaning forward Katze activated the monitor to find Raoul Am himself looking back at him. His usual expression bares no change even as he announced the news that Katze had been dreading.  
"Iason Mink had been revived," The blondy said into the speaker "He bares the same memories similar of the previous Iason,"  
"However there is one thing," Raoul continued, not giving space or time for Katze to respond "His memory of that mongrel pet is erased completely thanks to Jupiter's decree,"

Katze stood straight up. Alarmed. "The new Iason Mink would not have any recollection of his memories in Dana-Bahn either, he know not why his body have been switched,"  
"I expect that the new Iason would soon come to be in contact with you again, seeing how he had decided to….trust in you," Raoul's expression did not change but there was a hint of disgust in his eyes. After all, Katze is an ex-furniture.

"I understand," Katze merely replied, moving to cut off the call, but Raoul wasn't finished.  
"You and I would be the only ones who knew what happened in Dana-Bahn," He reminded "No one else, and obviously not even the new Iason,"  
"Even the mere mention of that vile pet has been forbidden by Jupiter, I expect you to heed to this," With that Raoul cut the call off, and Katze finally relaxed back into his chair again.

A new Iason. The fact that the blondy could be reconstructed and reborn is enough to make even the most well equipped enemy fall to their feet in defeat. Immortality he recalled was something that was once only in books and stories. Yet humankind had managed to achieve it. But this new Iason who did not have any recollection of Riki would mean that he would revert back to the cruel and cold demeanor the blondy once had. The small hint of humanity that Riki manage to teach him about all but vanished.  
Katze's fingers trailed to the side of his cheeks where the scar given by Iason still lingers in plain view. Hiding Riki would be even harder after this.

"I'm not even sure if it's a miracle that you survived, Riki," He frowned.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Eos tower where the elite dwell, Raoul Am had just switched off his monitor, preparing to return to his room. He was no stranger when it comes to reconstructing a blondy's android body. This method had been used for a very long time. The thirteen blondies, the syndicate will forever remain the same thanks to this. However, there was an error when Iason Mink is being reconstructed. Jupiter had ordered that the memories of that previous mongrel pet, the one named Riki be erase from Iason's transferred memories completely and replaced so that nothing would be left amiss.

However, curiously, Iason Mink's new body rejected Raoul's intervention. The blondy was only able to erase the memories but not replace them, no matter whichever method he attempts. Something was blocking him out, leaving voids of lost memories inside Iason.  
Reporting this to Jupiter, the supercomputer could only nod to approve that Iason Mink be woken up, even with an incomplete memory.

"Raoul," A fluid voice suddenly pierced Raoul's thought. Iason Mink stood in the doorway of his lab, dressed in an overall of silver and white. "Aisha's soiree is in five minutes you do know how Orphe feels about tardiness,"  
"Such attention to details," Raoul replied, getting up "I never did have any interest in these soirees that Aisha so excitedly organized,"  
"Neither do I," was all Iason said, even after they were seated at the high place where the blondies were positioned in the pet soiree after they arrived.

Not one for conversations the blondy sip his drink in silence as the other blondies engage in small talks. Not far away, Iason could see the new pets in the ring, cooing away and showing off their assets worthy enough to be called an academy breed pet. Even though the blondy bear it no interest, something at the back of his mind seem to shift a little.

"So Iason," Came Gideon Lagat's voice "Have you grown accustomed to your new body?"  
Taking a long sip out of his cup, Iason answered. "I see no reason why the body would be of any hindrance to me,"  
"Convenient isn't it?" Aisha chimes in, his eyes hold the usual slyness "We are able to switch our bodies, even have our memory transferred, immortality at the tips of our fingers"  
"When have you started caring about immortality, Aisha?" Gideon chuckled, pointing out.

"This is made possible by Jupiter and also Raoul's help," Iason replied coldly, cutting him off.  
"However I would not say that we are fully immortal when we are not even completely human," Aisha stared back, his eyes already hinting what he was going to say next. But Raoul suddenly interrupted, fearing where the topic might lead to.  
"Speaking of Jupiter," He cut in "Did she mentioned anything of importance to you, Iason?"

Iason turned away. He had met Jupiter that afternoon, the super computer that controls all of Midas. Jupiter greeted him as kindly as a mother would to a child but when asked about the voids in his memory and the reason that his body was switched, even Jupiter would only reply in silence.  
"Nothing," Iason stood up from his seat, tired of the soiree he had no interest in "Merely told me to get a pet," With that he turned on his heels and head towards the exit.

Orphe cocked an eyebrow. Jupiter would never mind in issues such as this. Of course there was still the mongrel pet that Iason once owned but now, even Jupiter had forbidden the name to be mention, and from the looks of it, Iason had no recollection of his previous pet. Had Raoul erased it off?  
"I know of what you are curious of," Raoul interrupted his thoughts, sighing "If you are mindful you would just leave it at that,"  
Orphe glared back. Curious yet however knew that it was not in his place to question.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Thank you for the reviews. This is my first time writing and you have no idea how much it means to me! Thank you!**_

* * *

Katze found himself collapsing into his chair the moment he arrived back into his office, a cigarette bud encased between his lips as usual.

The new Iason Mink had not spared any time in giving him orders as soon as the blondy came back in contact. Katze had spent the whole day carrying it out but after a year of not being bossed around, this will need time to get use to again.

Thinking back to the cold, static blondie who glowered at Katze's computer screen while spitting out orders, Katze notice how every detail of this new blondy is exactly the same as the previous. Truly, Raoul Am had outdone himself.  
However, when Katze searched for a hint of the previous Iason Mink in his master's face, he found nothing, not even a single glimmer anywhere. This Iason Mink had no recollection of his once precious mongrel pet that he had died protecting, nor was he aware of his year of absence.

Katze sighed.  
He had witnessed the cruelty of Midas in many ways, not only due to him being involved in the underground and the deepest part of Midas's secret that he had once so ambitiously tried to dig, yet even now it still continue to baffle him.  
For years, he had felt guilt over the boys from the Guardians that he condemned to a similar fate such as his. He should be well aware of the means and method that the higher ups would go.

To them, separating and erasing one's most precious memory of their loved ones would seem nothing to them, just simply a topic to laugh at, a fool.  
Love after all does not exist in Midas.

Whilst immersing in his thoughts, the redhead was suddenly interrupted by a blaring alarm from his data slate. Frowning, he switched on his monitor and peered into the screen.

An image of the room he used to keep Riki greeted him, the usual amount of stout bottles littered the floor and the bed in the corner of the room ruffled and unmade. Yet however, the mongrel himself is nowhere to seen.

Riki had finally managed to break the lock and had escaped confinement, just exactly like what he had sworn before.

Katze breathed a silent curse. Trust Riki to pick the best time to escape with Tanaguara still on full alert after the Dana-Bahn incident.  
He was about to rush out to search for that stubborn mongrel when his monitor rang again, a different tone. Cursing yet again, he switched on the caller expecting to see Iason Mink but instead is greeted by Raoul Am.  
This took him off-guard for a moment, a second of anxiety flashed past his face.

"I trust that everything is in order?" Raoul's cold voice had never fail to send chills down his spine. He was still not use to the blondy.

Swallowing his worries in a gulp, he nodded and mentally gave himself a slap to regain himself.  
The timing that Raoul Am has is strangely imploring.

Raoul seem to give a slight raise of an eyebrow at Katze's almost visible anxiety yet thankfully said nothing. "I want you to monitor Iason Mink,"  
"Surely a task as such is more suitable for you, my lord," Katze was uncertain, wondering what the blondy was up to again.  
"Surely I am, but from our previous experience, Iason Mink is not one to mingle and show his change and emotions," Raoul replied back coldly "You however who worked under him is different,"  
Katze could hear the disgust in his voice as he stated the fact.

"You are to report any change to me, immediately," With that, the monitor turned off, cutting the call.  
For a moment, Katze stood there, all thoughts on his previous mission temporary erased out of his mind. It is strange for Raoul to worry about such things. Why had he gone through the trouble to monitor Iason and strangely, the new Iason Mink that is void of any contact with the past?

Could there be something Raoul Am feared?

It was questionable. Raoul Am would not go through the trouble to contact him, an ex-furniture that he loathed, if it isn't something important.  
However, Katze had no strings attached to Raoul, he could choose not to tell anything to that blondy if such matters arise. His master is Iason Mink and if there is a chance to really bring the old Iason back, he would grab it. He seem to suddenly felt amuse.  
An action that his master would be against off but yet somehow deep inside would support him, as strange as that might sound.

Yet at the moment something else nagged his mind. He grabbed his coat and marched out of the room. He needed to find Riki before Midas itself found him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Iason Mink sat in his seat; the pet auction seems to be lively as always. The auction had brought out rare species of pets that few had ever seen and the auction had risen to un-imaginary price.

However the interest that Iason shown to any of the merchandise seems mild or none at all despite what Jupiter had told him before.  
Get a pet.

A seller approached him, not bothering to hide the excitement in his face "Anything of interest, my lord?"

Iason sipped his wine. "I would call if I want to be disturb,"  
Perturbed, the seller quickly retreat much to Raoul's disgust.

"You are back," Iason greeted his friend "That was quick,"  
"There are matters to attend to," Raoul replied "I saw the seller you sent away,"

"None of the merchandises are of interest," Iason stated "Why should I even have a pet, when I have done perfectly well not owning one for years?"  
"Iason, Jupiter had made it a point to advise you on attaining one, surely you won't ignore her?" Raoul frowned, to which Iason simply bushed off with a sigh.

He looked down at the stage where the auction was held. Pets of different gender, race and breed were introduced. Their hair colour ranges from dark to light, copper to gold and their beauty equally astounding, as expected from pets.  
However, to Iason they looked somehow…uninteresting, boring. Their eyes lacked souls, they lacked neither the will nor the burn that every existence should have.  
All he could see was lust. These are creatures true to their desires.

"Very well, you pick one," Iason finally agreed after a moment of observing. None of them caught his eye "Pick one and I will greet it home as my pet,"

Raoul knew that this was as far as an agreement that Iason would come to owning a pet. Of course he would not remember those empty petless years were all void fragments of Riki, that mongrel pet that had caused uproar all over Midas.  
Wordlessly, he called over an assistant, giving the man instructions while Iason just quietly sipped his wine.

* * *

The light had turned dim and the sky displayed a dark shade of blue as Iason Mink finally returned home to his penthouse. It was a tiring day for him, not only was he forced to attend a pet auction he literally had no interest in and was even talked into owning a pet, Raoul had the privilege to even drag him around Eos tower, around his lab and Iason even had to deal with the other blondies plotting to organize a pet soiree for Iason's new pet that he haven't even lay eyes on.  
The work piling up in his office and the things he needed to settle with Katze wasn't helping either.

He entered his home, exhausted but still composed. Even with a new android body, there is a limit to what it can do. The penthouse's paneled windows were shut and everything was dark. Irritated he called for his furniture, ordering the boy to brighten up the place.

The boy had a slim and frail figure, his hair a shaggy sheen of bronze. What was his name again? Ah, David, the new furniture who had barely worked a month in his house. It seems like he would still need time to get use to things, Iason thought as he watched the boy hastening about, trying to get the switches to work.

Iason sighed. It would be a miracle if things go well with his furnitures from the house of Mink. Many of them had proven themselves to be trouble makers in their own way.

Katze had the courage to dig out Midas's secrets, despite being of such low status. Iason had graciously accepted him into being his underground dog, but not after some discipline actions. The blondies had at first rejected the idea yet somehow finally left the ex-furniture to his own device when they saw his value.  
Daryl seem to be promising and Carl too, but one was executed and the other vanished. Come to think of it, why was Daryl executed? Something about hacking Midas's system?

Iason frowned as he tried to grasp back what had happened but all that came flowing back is just empty void of memories, darkness with no meanings. He tried to process his memory bank but it was to no avail even to this enhanced brain.  
The more he tried to remember, the more it hurts. This is impossible. He was a blondy, a being far more superior to any human. If he willed it, he could even escape death.  
He is Iason Mink, the head of the syndicate of thirteen blondies, Jupiter's direct favorite. It would be a shame that his memories isn't complete, that he could not even recall what happened a year back that caused him to have a new body.

"Master?" David was waiting silently, not really sure if interrupting the blondy's thought is acceptable or not.  
"What is it," Came Iason's reply as he straightened up and walked into the room.

"E-excuse me but a pet was delivered here today from the academy," The furniture replied timidly "It is waiting in its room,"  
Iason had almost forgotten about that creature that Raoul had so graciously insisted he owned.

"Very well," He sighed, giving his cloak to the furniture "I will see to it,"

* * *

The slums is just as how Riki remembers it. Trash littered every corner and cigarette buds wherever your feet lands, a district forsaken by the capital, where the people who lived here were considered nothing more than trash, a sore to even lay eyes on.  
In this land, only the strongest would be allowed to live on. An eye for an eye, throwing in an arm and a leg.

Riki likes it here. He likes the freedom that he barely had and the feel of the air. It has been a year or more since he felt it. When was it when he was force to give everything up to return into the embrace of that wretched man?  
Yet however much he hated the blondy, a sore spot in him seem only to grow in pain whenever his face returned. So Riki pushed it to the back of his mind.  
Why mourn those who pass?  
Why even mourn the one that made his life a living hell?

The same person that was cruel to him even until the very end.

Straightening up, the ex-Bison leader walked away from the house he had just break out of, finding a path that leads to the heart of the slums. He knew not where to go nor did he had any destination in mind. Riki was smart enough to know about the troubles that he faced if he was found to be still alive yet there wasn't much he could do in this situation.  
He had no home to return to as Katze might be monitoring it the moment he broke out of the ex-furniture's 'care'.  
Riki cringe when he thought about Bison, the group he had once tried to protect desperately. Their parting wasn't the best, in fact it was the worst. For all they knew, to them, Riki might still be in Apathia, sticking up to that blondy.

Guy…..after all that his ex-pairing partner had done, Riki wasn't even sure if he wanted to see Guy's face at all, he thought as he gripped the space between his thighs. He wasn't sure if he had really forgiven him or not. Besides, if Katze did what he promised….Guy would not even remember him anymore nor would Riki be able to recognize his face.

There was no more pet ring to tie him down. There was nothing pulling him back. He was a free man, a free man who had nothing left.

With that, the mongrel only found himself strolling into a bar he barely noticed before, tucking his leather jacket around him, hoping that no one would see how much that previous infamous leader of Bison had fallen into. Finding a seat at the counter, he ordered a bottle of stout.

"Riki?" Came a feminine and familiar voice beside him.  
Riki jolted. He had made sure to enter a bar that was rarely visited by anyone. How could there be people recognizing him so quickly after years of absence.  
He turned to the direction of the voice, unsure of what to do.

The face that stared back at him was equally surprised. He still remembered it. Her fair skin, her silky, flowy hair had been tugged into a cap in order to hide the odd colour that does not belong in the slums. Her face looks a bit older than what he remembered, yet greasy; prove of the time spent living in the slums.  
Gone were her flowing robes of luxury. She now donned on a military green jacket, the collar folded up high to hide the fact that she was a woman.

The name came up to him naturally, rolling unto the tips of his tongue as he remembered all the days they spent together and the torture that came after it thanks to their ignorant bliss.

Riki's jaw could barely shut  
"Mimea,"


	4. Chapter 3

The room that Iason Mink found himself in felt alien, yet somehow familiar. This was the room dedicated to pets. He had not remembered ever stepping into this part of his penthouse before as he had not owned a pet for a very long time.  
But then again, the void of his memory had proved that it was not to be trusted.

Sitting in the middle was a bed of an oddly constructed shape and a figure sleeping naked among the silky sheets, his body covered with only white linen.  
From here Iason could see it is a boy still in his early teens. He had dark raven hair that seemed to reach down his shoulder and a well trained and constructed body, a single collar bound around his neck. The silver earring he wore on his right ear caught the light, reminding and announcing to everyone that this is a legit academy purebred pet of high status, the latest model can only be owned by the richest that could afford.

Iason had no use of him. This pet is nothing but mere decoration of his house and status, one he would send away quickly after probably one to three years of possession.

The pet stirred, noticing his master's presence, waking up almost too quickly, pulling himself up and for the first time Iason noticed his eyes. It was unmatched, a bright copper in one and a dark black in the other.  
Black hair and dark eyes.  
He looked familiar somehow but Iason just couldn't wrap his mind around him. Why did Raoul choose him among all the other pets? He simply did not want to bother.  
He could see nothing in the pet's eyes. Just like all the others it had no will. It exists simply as a decoration. Surely, he looked wild if let freely about but Iason knew this pet would bow to him the moment he wills it. Just like all the others, this pet is equally useless.

He called for David, ordering the furniture to give the pet appropriate clothes and care to his well being.

The pet had barely even spoken a word when Iason left the room. David sighed, looking at the pet, feeling the responsibility now weighing upon his shoulder. After all, anything that happened to the pets would be blamed unto the furniture left in his charge.

Meanwhile Iason went back to his room, remembering the mismatched eyes of his pet. Someone had the same eyes as he recalled, one that like Katze, thirst for the forbidden fruit of knowledge that Midas locked away. Of course, he played with fire and was left to face the consequences were dealt with accordingly but memories of these remains hazy to Iason.

It is late. However this was of an important matter that Iason has put off discussing for a long time. He got up, gathering his cloak and left for Raoul's quarters.

* * *

Raoul Am loitered around the peak of Eos Tower, where Jupiter resides.

"That pet would satisfy him," He murmured "It has all the qualities that the mongrel had,"  
The super computer paused awhile, a hologram of Jupiter floating about above him. It replied in a coded language, one that only blondies had the privilege to understand.

_Raoul, that is dangerous. You know the consequences might be severe. _

"He needed a pet, like you said, Jupiter," Raoul frowned "He needs to forget, and judging from his taste, that is after all the most suitable choice,"

_Easy as it seems, his memories are void.  
He knew of what is missing and he is keen to find out._

"Then tell me, for I am at wit's end," Raoul replied, staring back at the machine "Why did we bother anyway, that slum trash is dead, there is no way Iason would remember him, nor is there any need to,"  
Jupiter paused again, processing.

_There would come a day when he tries to find out.  
We do not know of the actions he could take.  
The emotions and attachment the past him felt is not one that we could understand, Raoul.  
Iason Mink had been willing to give me up, to abandon me and the status I had bestowed upon him for a mere human. I will not allow this to happen again. _

Raoul was out of words. Emotions and attachment?  
A blondy was not even supposed to feel. Jupiter had recognized the danger that such emotions possessed.

_Besides, we cannot be sure of the mongrel's death._

"What?" This took the blondy off guard.

_Amoi is huge in itself.  
There could be places that even I could not reach.  
A definite answer could not be given, not until solid proof was brought fourth._

"You are telling me, that he might be alive?" Raoul felt something surging within him. Something even he was unfamiliar of.  
Jupiter's hologram crouched down and cupped its humungous hands around Raoul

_We cannot be sure of it.  
But take note, be cautious._

With that, the hologram shuts itself down, flooding the room once again with darkness. Raoul sighed and collapsed into the chair behind him that he had unknowingly risen from. Jupiter was right. He had not lay eyes on the mongrel's lifeless body. Why was he so sure that he was dead? And Katze….Katze did not even report anything of it during the search of Iason Mink's previous body was conducted. Why had he not? Would he assumed that he would have no interest about it?

"Katze," He frowned, murmuring under his breath and retreating out of the room.  
As the blondy hastened his way to his room, wanting to interrogate the ex-furniture, he was greeted by Iason standing by his door.

"What luxury did I owe you for such an untimely visit, Iason?" It was really late by now and he remembered that Iason had bid him farewell and retreated back into his quarters. Yet why is he now standing in front of his room now.  
"Is the pet that I picked are of no favor?" He asked.

"Raoul, there are voids of memories in my mind," Iason ignored him, going straight to the topic "You knew that I would come seeking for an answer sooner or later,"  
"An answer you did not bother to find the moment you realized it," Raoul whilst past him and entered his room, Iason following swiftly behind.

"You avoided that topic, my friend, many times, you and Jupiter. Do not trample over the respect and trust I have in you," Iason continued "These gaps means something, does it not?"  
"Why is there so many things that I do not remember from the past few years, 6 and a half in exact, Raoul?" Iason had even went through the trouble of calculating

Raoul sank into his chair, his fingers rubbing his temple. "Are you forcing me to admit that my own inventions and methods are faulty?"  
"That is not what I seek and that is not true, " Iason towered before the other blondy but the latter remain silent.

"There is something Jupiter and all of you are hiding from me, is there not?" Iason slightly frowned.  
"Leave," Raoul suddenly said, unable to keep up with the conversation.  
"Why was my body changed?" Iason persisted but Raoul only jump to his feet. "Leave, Iason, please, rest for the night, you had a long day,"

Iason was startled that he had been denied information by his most trusted subordinate. Turning on his heels, he left the room without saying another word. There was still much to discuss, but Iason would find his own methods without Raoul's help.

After the blondy left, Raoul sank back into his chair, feeling tired all of a sudden. Jupiter was right. Iason Mink could revert to the old ignorant person that he turned into when he was involved with that slum mongrel. History would repeat itself again.  
As much as the blondies are able to live through new bodies, there would be a risk that the memory would not be able to transfer at all, causing the blondy to actually die, replaced by a new being of similar name and face.  
This was what Jupiter feared. Iason Mink is the head of the syndicate. He possessed information of all sorts that if lost would throw the system out of balance.  
The idea of a blondy actually dying had always sound impossible, but Iason Mink had to just prove that it does happened.

Jupiter cannot afford to lose one of its most important creation again.

Iason Mink cannot repeat the same mistake he did of falling in love with another human, much less if what Jupiter said was true, Riki himself. This would lead to turmoil or even be the beginning of Midas's downfall.

Raoul needs to do something, quick. If that mongrel is still alive, he simply needs to return it to the dead.

Picking up his data slate he dialed for Katze but no reply came.  
Raoul frown, the possibility of Riki being alive seems to grow by the second. He dialed again to no avail.

"Trash of slums—"

* * *

Mimea let Riki in to a small cozy room. The furnishings are simple and the place itself was tucked away in the corners of the streets, impossible to spot if attention was not given.

"It's a great place," Riki acknowledged as Mimea remove her heavy jacket and cap. Her blonde locks were cropped short just after her ears, enough to tuck away into the cap without it being visible.

"So," Riki started and sank into a seat he was ushered to. "What happened after….that?" His face changed a little as he remembered but pushed it away "Why are you in the slums?"

Mimea looked more matured now compared to the pet he met in Tanagura last time. She sat down beside him, offering him a tin of alchohol, the common drink around the area.  
"I ran away," She finally explained "After that incident, master Raoul had originally wanted to brainwash me, turn me into a living doll," That was the norm of used pets in Midas. Though it sounds horrible, many had fallen victim to it and as Riki remembered, even Kirie.  
"Jana….Jana objected to it, he even begged and strangely enough, I still remember the mercy that master had shown me, it felt really strange,"

"Raoul? Mercy?" Riki grinned "That's a laugh!"

Mimea smiled in reply "I was sold to a pet brothel with the others….spent a few months there…and then, well, ironically, Jana himself was sent to the same place," Riki cocked an eyebrow "Well we plotted and soon found our way out together, we escaped,"

Riki was in disbelief. Could something like this even happen? Midas to him was a world of cruelty. They will never let one achieve freedom so easily. "So? What happened after that?"

Mimea's face immediately turned dark.  
"I had wronged Jana in many ways," She said with sadness in her eyes "We didn't go far before the police came after us, Jana hid me, he had actually manage to hack into the system and erased my existence before we left, would you believe it, Jana!"  
"It wasn't easy of course, but he said that somehow his actions were masked by other more important things to secure and take note of by the system that he manage to completely delete all data related to me—"

"I know that it sounds impossible from a pet like Jana but he did it," Her eyes sparkled as she speaks of him and then it suddenly dimmed "He went that far to protect me, yet—"

"Yet?"

"He didn't manage to erase his own documents. He was quickly caught….and executed, while all I could do was run and hide in here, Ceres. "

There was a moment of silence. Mimea had once hated Jana so much and now had found herself in love with the man who in the end had sacrificed himself for her. Iason's face flashed through Riki's mind.

"I'm sorry," He muttered "I put you through this,"

Mimea shook her head.  
"I know of the circumstances you faced, Riki," She smiled, I am a pet and I would sooner or later face that impending doom, but you gave me hope. What I said that time was in a fit of anger, forgive me, you probably had went through even worse situation with master Iason,"

Riki cringe with the mention of his name.

"I do not blame you for anything, Riki," Mimea assured him

Another moment of silence.

Mimea fidgeted uncomfortably. Riki seem to be too deep in thought to maintain conversation so she asked. "So, did Master Iason finally decided to release you?"

This took Riki off guard and he turned a wide-eyed look at Mimea in surprise. Iason's death wasn't made public it seems? He chuckled, a sort of pain stabbing into him as he explained to Mimea all that had happened, right from after their untimely separation until Iason's death in Dana-Bahn.

"Riki," She started after a pause "You really love him, don't you?"  
"After what he did?" Riki strutted around the room angrily. He did not know what to feel. That day he was prepared to give up everything for Iason. Yet why did Iason himself prevented it from happening? Why would Iason stop him and to go as far as to protect him and telling him to continue living when he no longer had anything to live for?

"We only had two hands to grasp unto what is important to us, Mimea, yet I had nothing!" He shouted, confused, anger, sadness all mix into a ball of emotions.  
"I no longer know what to feel, everything I cherished, everything I once had was all stripped away and yet he was cruel enough to not let me have that one thing I yearn for, even in death he condemns me!"

"No!" Riki suddenly found Mimea's arms around him "Riki, he have a reason, I'm sure!"  
Riki was close to tears, it was a strange feeling, he was not the kind to reveal his emotions so publicly. Perhaps Iason had changed him, maybe because it was Mimea, or maybe because there was nothing left to lose.

"The person we are talking about is Iason Mink, a blondy," Riki reminded Mimea  
"Then I do not believe that a blondy is not allowed to feel emotions, Riki," The girl stated "Just like Jana, he had always yearn for you, Riki,"

"He loved you, but never knew how to convey it," She whispered softly, there were sadness in her voice.

He took her hands, noticing how coarse it was now, compared to the times when she was still living in luxury as a pet.  
"If that is so, he would not leave me like this," He frowned and took a step back "Thank you, for your hospitality, Mimea,"

"Riki, there are things you would not understand, even about him!" She took hold of his arm but he shook it off.  
"Riki!" She called again and held on to his jacket.  
"T-there is something I must tell you," She whispered into his back, a voice barely audible for him to hear.

"Katze—took care of me,"  
"What?!" Riki frowned, immediately turning back towards the girl "It's not possible that Jana would completely erase me off the system!" She sobbed "We were both found but it was Katze who saved me and took me in and allow me to continue living in the slums while working for him—"

"What the—"  
This shouldn't be a surprise to Riki about Katze who had many connections that even Riki knows not about during the days he worked with him. But it was news to him. An ex-pet working under him?!

"…he knows I'm here," Riki concluded, and Mimea nodded, her sobs barely audible. "I'm sorry but, there isn't any place you could go to anymore, Riki, only Katze could help you now—"  
"I do not need his help!" Riki retorted "All that man could do is to lock me up!"  
"But that was the only way to keep you safe—from Master Raoul!"  
"If Raoul wants me dead then isn't that better? I had nothing worth living for anymore," Riki laughed "What can they do to me anyway, Iason is already dead!"

At that same moment, the door slid open, revealing Katze, standing with a cigarette bud in his lips. "I have enough of this," He sighed, walking in and delivered a punch straight at Riki's face. Mimea screamed as the man tumbled unto the dusty floor.

"Katze—you bastard!" Riki shouted, up on his feet in a second and delivered his reply right into Katze's face, sending him flying across the room.

Of course in combat, Riki would triumph over a man who barely had much contact with the real world of slums except through his monitor screen. Katze coughed, regaining his breath, a bruise blossoming across his face, blood trickled down his nose.  
"What's your fuckin problem!" Riki's anger was far from quenched "First you locked me up then come bustling through, landing such a fuckin weak punch! What the hell do you want?!"

However, Katze just sat there, pulling out a cigarette from his breast pocket and lighting it, letting the smoke fill the room and giving Riki space to calm down before he stood up.

"So the one I pulled out from the rubbles really is Riki after all," He breathed.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Thank you so much for the reviews! It motivates me to write everytime I see them. I'm still trying really hard to cope with writing in this style though so do bear with me ;w;_**

* * *

Ceres, a city said to be filled with scum. In the dirty corners of the street was a bar with a well concealed entrance. This is where people always meet when they need to do some under the table business. Even in Ceres, it is the norm, and to Katze, this is where he usually meets his clients.

But today is different. Sitting in the corner of the room with dimmed red lights filtering through the smoke-filled pub, Riki sulked in the corner while Katze silently watched him through his cigarette smoke.

One thing Katze liked about this bar is that privacy it always valued; it was rare that crowds would gather here and people barely talk in whispers. They minded their own business and stay out of others.  
Still, Riki kept his jacket collar up and hid in the shadows, not wanting to be recognized.

"Is this how far the infamous Riki the dark had fallen?" Katze breathed through the smoke from his mouth, smothering the cigarette bud he had in an ash tray.  
"Shut up," Riki murmured "Why did you bring me here? What is Mimea doing with you?"

Katze sighed. "Look Riki, Mimea is just like you, a wanted from Tanaguara itself,"  
"I have managed to hide her for months and she had proved her worth while working for me, what about you, Riki, what are you going to do after this?"

Riki folded his arms and rested his weight against the seat. He didn't have an answer for that. Katze wouldn't blame him. Even after breaking out of the room, all Katze would imagine Riki to do would be to coop up in a room somewhere else, drinking cheap stout, bike racing with random strangers and occasionally stirring up trouble.  
But if things goes wrong, Raoul's men might just be here to drag his sorry ass back to Tanaguara.

The Riki now had no goal anymore. The mongrel had lost his motivation to move forward. All there is now to him is a standstill.

Katze considered informing Riki of Iason Mink's revival. But would that do? The Iason now had no recollection of Riki. He is the same yet different, in a way. Wouldn't that hurt Riki even more?  
"My mongrel isn't that fragile," The old Iason would always say.  
After being put through horrendous training by Iason, Riki was toughened, he could face anything. But that was the old Riki.

As Katze was about to say something, Riki suddenly was pulled up from his shoulders, causing him to stand and the table to jerk backwards.

Katze looked up, startled. A man with shaggy hair and a cap was staring right at Riki, who was still in shock. The man only had an arm and the unfilled sleeve flapped with the momentum.

"….Riki?" Came a flushed voice of disbelief from that man.

Katze stood, alerted. Riki couldn't recognize the man's face but he knew that voice anywhere. At the back of his mind, it was always there, haunting him with bitter sweet memories.

He had definitely had a surgery to change his features, but it was no doubt the perpetrator, the man who orchestrated Iason Mink and Riki's downfall.

Guy.

Riki immediately jerked out of the latter's grip, a mix feeling traveling through his very bone. Guy? What is guy doing here? He was the last person that Riki wanted to meet.  
But—why was he here? How did he recognize him? Didn't Katze promised to wipe his memories away and let Guy start a new?

Riki glanced back at Katze who could only look away at the moment.  
"Katze you bastard—" was all that Riki had in mind.

"You are Riki!" Guy's new features were different, but the way he pulled his lips back in astonishing happiness, the way he looked at Riki, it was Guy alright.  
"How could it be—I thought you died!"

"In an explosion you made," Riki retorted, shrinking away. He didn't know how to react to Guy after all. When guy heard this, his face fell. For almost a year, he tried to cope with the fact that he had murdered and tried to steal a love that was never his to claim.  
Guy stepped back. It was by chance that he had noticed Riki's dark black hair in the midst of the whispers in the pub. It was even weird when he caught sight of Katze, a face he had not seen since he was released out of the medical centre with an arm missing.

Guy admitted that he had went overboard, neglected the feelings of others at that point and selfishly tried to tear apart something that was meant to be and never his. As a result, he had to suffer and lived in agony and guilt.  
He had paid dearly for the pain he had caused.

But to see Riki still alive, it was like his punishments are finally over, and maybe, just maybe there was still a crack of light in the midst of the darkness.

But Riki reacted differently. Instead, he picked himself up, telling Katze that it was time to leave.  
"Riki!" Guy was desperate, using his only arm to grasp Riki's shoulder, as if he was trying to hold on to something important. He felt a feeling of déjà vu. Riki halted.

"Look, what happened that day—"

Guy couldn't continue. He paused, and Riki just watched him, studying the man Guy had become.  
Guy stammered, trying to cough out words. He knew he didn't even deserve to look at Riki after all he had done. Guy had been wondering aimlessly in and out of the black market these years, completely cutting contact with Bison. Even today, he was only here to meet a client from the black market when he noticed Riki.

So he continued to live in that daily hell called guilt, his own conscious whirling imaginary chains that locked him in place, chains that he would probably be living with forever. He should have left the slums long ago but find it hard to do so with the memories that contained in this place.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again," Was all he could manage to say.  
Riki didn't really have much to say to the latter. After all Guy had done, Riki still insisted that he lived on. He was glad to see that Guy was still alive but right now, seeing him in person with an arm gone, Riki didn't really know how to react.

"Yeah-" Was all he could manage.

"I didn't thought you'd be alive….even after seeing that blondy sitting in his pedestal in Tanagura-" Guy stammered. Glad that he had somehow gotten a reply from Riki. But Riki's eyes widen. Shocked.

Katze frowned and clicked his tongue. What he wanted to keep away from Riki had finally leaked from a source he had not expected. Hastily, he took Riki's wrist. There is no more that the mongrel needs to know about this subject. But instead, Riki pulled his arm away.

"Blondy? Iason?!" Riki shook Guy, shocked and surprise, all of his previous conflicted feelings all but evaporated "Iason, he is alive?!"  
Guy felt a stab of pain in him. What he said previously was just something he blurted out in the heat of the moment. He could never imagine Riki would react so much to the news—  
Could it be…

"You didn't know?" He frowned, shrugging out of Riki's grip and glancing towards Katze, who kept his silence "I sneaked in to a pet auction the other day...he was there, sitting among the blondies-"

Of course Riki would react like this. That blondy is the same person that Riki chose to end his life with…  
But if so, why are them both alive?

"Enough," Katze interrupted "Guy, you were the last person I imagined to see wondering around the slums and sneaking into a pet auction…even after my warning,"  
"Warning my ass!" Riki cut through "Katze, why didn't you tell me anything!" He glared at the red head, waiting for an answer.

This was getting out of hand, and so was Riki's volume. Already, Katze could see people watching them from their table, whispering in hushed voices, curious about the fight that had broke out between them.

"This is not the place to discuss…let's go," he finally said, dragging them both out of the place.

* * *

The group found themselves in Katze's headquarters through underground channels. Guy had been previously and reluctantly asked to leave but Riki objected. Truly, he still had a grudge against Guy but right now, something else mattered.

Riki was about to explode with questions when they finally reached Katze's place, but Katze motioned him and Guy to sit instead before pulling a cigarette out of his breast pocket.  
Taking a breath of smoke, he slowly explained to both of them, how a blondy could actually be copied and duplicated, how Iason Mink's memories were extracted and put into the new blondy, how there is a new Iason Mink, how Raoul had erased Riki out of Iason's memories and finally, how Raoul would probably stop at nothing to have Riki eradicated if he was found to still be alive.

When he finally finished explaining, all Riki could do was sit and stare in disbelief.  
Guy sat in silence too, his brows knitted, deep in thought.

"I would ask you not to find for Iason Mink anymore Riki, and not to mingle anymore with the blondy more than you have," said Katze. Up till now, his true motives still weren't clear, even to him.  
He longed for the master he had served before the events in Dana-bahn, the master that had changed ever so slightly. But to have Riki running after the new Iason would be like sending him to a pit of fire, ready to burn their way into ashes, a risk he was unwilling to take.

There however, can be no guarantee what the mongrel would do. This degree would not stop him. Once the information was revealed to him, something stirred in Riki. A determination.

To him, there was no way that Iason would not remember him. There could not be. He would pound it into the blondy either way. After suffering all the years that the blondy put him through, he wouldn't allow Iason to as simply forget about everything.  
And if Iason Mink is still alive, there are still questions to be answered. Questions that bugged Riki so much it was like an itch that could not be scratch.

Katze saw the burning determination in Riki's eyes and knew that his effort to hold him back was for naught. This is what Katze had feared, Riki waltzing right up to death's door.

Guy instead sat with calm and serenity. While Riki burned away, there was a cool aura around Guy. He had screwed up once for his foolishness and now, the best way is to think about this rationally.  
Of course, he still loathed the blondie that had stripped his pairing partner away from him. Riki's comments in Dana-Bahn did not make anything better, but instead caused the downfall of everything, even Guy's life. He had originally wanted to make Dana-Bahn his tomb, with Iason Mink himself, but now saw that it was useless, and even so, Riki had not allowed that to happen.  
Even if things did not went the way Riki wanted, he had instead chosen Iason instead of him. It was clear who the once prideful mongrel who reigned over the slums belonged to.

Now, Guy was more determine to help Riki, to make up for what he had done. Of course the feeling of hate for the blondy would not disappear, but right now, he was willing to put past it.

There were too many mistakes that he had done in the past.

To Katze, it was obvious what Riki was going to do. If he could break his way pass the gates of Tanagura and march right up to Iason Mink, he would, judging by what was written all over his face.

Katze sighed. His fingers trailed over to a drawer underneath his table. Pulling out a small silver box, he set it on the table. Guy's eyes widen, immediately recognizing the box. It was the same box that he had use to hand the item over to _him _long ago.

"You might not need this, but I believe it still belongs to you," Katze said, pushing the item towards Riki, who got up and took the object, curiously opening the content.  
Inside, were two rings that sat idly together, one bigger than the other, glowing a beautiful tint when it caught the light.

Riki swallowed, remembering all the torturous days that had came with this relic, the item that had bounded him with Iason, master and Pet. It was a D-type pet ring, and it's master's ring. One had always circled Riki's cock proudly, controlled by the master's ring worn on Iason's finger, able to make Riki to succumb to his desires, temptation or even pain.

"We found it among Iason's belongings when we extracted him out of the ruins," Katze explained, watching Riki as he stared at the item "I took the master's ring off Iason's fingers before handing him back to Raoul,"  
"I have held it for almost a year, I believe you to be the rightful owner right now,"

"Katze…" Riki stammered, frowning.  
Finally, the mongrel pocketed the item. He didn't know what else to do.

Suddenly, the floor upstairs above ground resounded with a crash. Sirens blared through Katze's room as his terminal flashed a bright red in warning. This was enough to make Riki's hair stood on end, alert as Katze scanned through the camera screens from the shop upstairs and saw Midas's police searching their way through the store that had been used as a cover for his office.  
Katze breathed a silent cursed and disconnected all his data, transferring important information to other terminals. If Midas's police is going to break their way in, they do not need to know what secret he had helped his own curiosity and Iason Mink to dig out all this years.

But right now, there are even dangerous things to worry about.

"Quick, both of you, through the trapdoor!" Katze commanded pointing to a wall behind him. He felt for a catch and the wall slid open, revealing a pathway clouded in darkness.  
It was a matter of time before the police would find their way down here. Katze was determined that the two escape. He had a hunch who could be behind the raid. Raoul had probably found out about something and judging from the amount of missed calls from him the terminal showed, the blondy must've gone impatient.

"Go! I will stall time!" Katze shouted but just then, the main door broke open and half a dozen men with heavy gears filed in.  
Really, Raoul always overdo in whatever he handles.

The trapdoor did not manage to slide in place when the police broke their way in, causing Riki and Guy to be apprehended too.  
"Release them!" Katze shouted "They have nothing to do with this!"

"Damn right, sir!" The police replied with a curious cock of an eyebrow "But the higher ups told us to apprehend anyone in this room, so I'm afraid you and them will be following us to the station,"

Katze glance back at the two. His plans had obviously backfired. Bringing them here is a huge mistake. He had unknowingly served Raoul what he wanted most on a silver platter.

* * *

At the other side of the city, in the heart of Midas, Tanagura seemed to be as lively as ever. Yet heat was boiling in ice as Iason stepped into Raoul's office.

He glance through the holographic images circling Raoul.  
"Katze is under my direct command," Iason started, coldly "You have no right to have him arrested by your men,"

"You need to find someone else then," Raoul frowned, not switching off the terminal that had now begin to project Katze's capture  
"I am arresting him under suspicions of foul play-" He shifted his attention to Iason, neglecting this images.

Iason stared, his eyes narrowing. Katze had always brilliantly avoided capture since he started working for him. What had happened this time around that allowed him to be apprehended so easily?

"I demand for his release," Iason frowned. He had not been talking to Raoul ever since their little confrontation. But the moment Iason found Katze being held under Raoul's command, it hit a final straw. Iason found himself marching into Raoul's office once again.

At that moment, something at the holographic projection caught Iason Mink's eyes. His attention narrowed to a single figure fighting his way against the cops. A man with unmanageable dark hair and a slender body was brawling against a man twice his size, but is surprisingly getting the upper hand, until two more cops came and helped, pressing him down with electric prods.

Something stirred within Iason as he stared at the screen. Raoul noticed and directed his attention at the screen, but the image had changed back to Katze filling out of the room with his hand behind his back, visible bruises on his face.

Iason walked forward and pushed a button on the terminal, allowing a call across to the police.

"Release them all," He said, speaking loudly before Raoul could stop him. Raoul was about to protest when Iason turned to him.

"I am Iason Mink, a blondy, the head of the syndicate. I demand that any misdoings of those who work under me be settled through me," Iason's glare at Raoul was an icy one. Clearly, his 'friend' had stepped over the line "If there are problems with this I would be in my chambers," With that, Iason turned away, exiting the room without another word, leaving Raoul to stare in disbelief.  
Had he finally caused the trust he had maintained with Iason for so long to crumble away?

Meanwhile, outside, Iason was busy handling his wrist terminal, sending a message to Katze that he will receive the moment his ex-furniture returned.  
"I want information on the black haired mongrel with you today,"


	6. Chapter 5

"You're lucky, mate," The officer frowned as he entered the room, holding the door open. When Katze was hurled in, he had expected to be tortured and administered with the worst kind of pain, probably worse than what he remembered had been subjected to him when his betrayal to his master was found out.  
After all, the Midas's police are infamous with the ways they treated their prisoners, especially if they are dealing with people caught from the slums.

"What of?" Katze kept poise, keeping up his calm serenity, the bruise on his face left during his capture still imminent on his face.  
"You are all commanded to be release without harm," The officer frowned, leaning against the door as he stared at Katze with a confused, yet disgusted face.  
"Those that came with me?" Katze still did not move, wanting to make sure the safety of the other two.  
"Same, although I won't say the younger one didn't get a close shave…" The officer chuckled "Now get out,"

Typical of Riki to fight back, Katze thought as he got up and exited the confinement. He had no doubts that Iason would intervene and call for his release but he had no idea it would be this quick. Even the fact that the other two were released this quickly is quite puzzling, considering how Iason had no recollection of them. Raoul would probably be furious about this though…but he could have caught wind of Riki's return.

As soon as he had exited the building, he pulled out the cigarette he found hiding in his coat pocket and light it. A grim smile spread across his face. Iason would not have ask for Riki's release unless he recognize him….or at least noticed something peculiar of the mongrel that piqued his interest. It looks like Riki isn't completely erased after all.

His assumptions were further confirmed when he finally returned to his office, his terminal beeping away, alerting him of a message. He ignored the mess the police had made during the ambush and walk right in, opening the contents sent from Iason.

The information about that black haired mongrel…..information about Riki, eh?  
Raoul, however would be a problem. If the blondy had caught wind of Riki still being alive….

* * *

Eos tower, clean, neat, systematic as always. Camera drones hovered midair as they monitored the surroundings, ensuring maximum security and safety for the Elites of different hair colours that strolled about the marble white pavements. Iason Mink had left his office and returned to his penthouse, having to see David greet him first thing as he entered.  
The furniture helped remove Iason's coat and the retreated, ensuring that he will no longer be in his master's line of sight unless otherwise summoned.

Iason settled into his chair, looking into his data slate.  
Katze had left a message that he had been released from the Midas police and apologized for any inconvenience, also adding that he would look into what Iason had requested earlier. Aisha Rozen's message pop out too, announcing a pet coming out party that will happen in a fortnight and Iason's newly owned pet, Viane, would be included in the list.

Iason frowned. As all known about Aisha, going about doing whatever he likes again, as if it wouldn't cause troubles for others.

Viane.  
Iason had not visited his pet even once after their first encounter, even though the mentioned lived under the same roof, Iason was so rarely home that the existence of his pet had been pushed right to the back of his mind.

It's probably time to visit his pet again now, is it not?

Viane though, wasn't as tame as he was said to be though. Clumsy, stubborn, protesting.  
"I'm sick of staying in this room, David!" Came Viane's sing-song voice as Iason approached the room "Where is the party they promise about, the one where new pets are introduced? I'm dying of boredom here" The blondy cocked an eyebrow, an academy breed pet that is outgoing and do not fancy being kept still?

"Master Iason!" David immediately lowered his head when the blondy entered the room, acknowledging the surroundings. Vaine sat on his bed wearing a simple overall that hugged the curve of his body. His shining black hair was still unruly and hung across his face, framing his unmatched eyes and reaching to right above his shoulder.

"You're my master?" The pet straightened up, having to actually meet Iason as a sober the first time.  
"I don't remember a pet having permission to speak before his master," Iason's eyes narrowed as he towered upon the other.

"They did say something like that back in the academy," Vaine smiled and shrugged, relaxing back upon his sheets "But I am after all a decorative item to you elites aren't I, so as long as I put my feet in the right areas, then all is well,"

"Awfully talkative too, I see," Iason noted to himself "Raoul had chosen quite an interesting candidate do he not?"  
"Yeah, well, how long do you intend to keep me in here? David said I can't go out unless—" The blondy approached the pet and cupped his face between his fingers, interrupting the pet.  
Vaine however felt a chill rolling down his spine but knew all too well to not resist, as the worse always fall to the pets that do not listen.

"You look awfully like him…" Iason frowned, whispering to himself "That mongrel…"  
Vaine caught his words but did not dare question. As wild as he is, he knew his place. A lowly pet like him had no right to ask, however he could feel the fear that begun blossoming within as he stared at Iason's deep sapphire eyes that studied him back.

When the blondy finally release him, Vaine's feet had gave way. The blondy turn away and seem to be having a discussion with David. For the first time Vaine finally understood how small his existence is. As David had once explained to that Iason is a blondy, one that hold quite a significant place among the hierarchy, the top and how Jupiter favored him, Iason is a very, very important person.  
For pets like Vaine, being a pet to such a person is the highest honor a pet could achieve and Vaine felt proud. He was proud of himself, vain blossomed within him as he felt an air of superiority yet however, there was also fear. Iason was not one to be messed with and to Vaine, nothing would blow this blondy over, not even the world.

"Get him ready for the soiree," Iason ordered the furniture as he turn to left the room again. Vaine stared after the blondy as he left, not knowing when will be the next time that he would meet the elite of elites again.  
"Iason Mink…huh?" He muttered after the door shut, David visibly letting out a sigh of relieve.

* * *

Riki however wasn't so great off. Guy had brought the mongrel back to his hidden quarters in the slums. It was a one room apartment, smaller than the room that Katze had locked Riki in previously.  
"Sorry about the cramped space," Guy apologized "I pretty much live alone and running around so…"  
"The room's great," Riki shrugged and sank into the couch. He had been beaten up quite badly due to resisting against the police earlier but he had suffered worse when Kirie had manage to stick his neck too far out and got him and Bison involved.

"Why'd you think they release us so fast, Riki?" Guy asked as he set a couple tins of drinks beside Riki, fresh from the cooling case. Riki frowned and took one, opening it with a pop and gulping down the contents "How would I know, probably Katze did something?"  
"But I'd be grateful that at least you and I could still walk," Guy chuckled again, getting his own drink.

Riki glance up at his previous pairing partner. Guy had visibly change a lot, at least physically. He had lose a few pounds from what Riki remembered and of course his face had changed. A higher cheekbone, his nose bridge sharper and bigger eyes. His chin had been altered and his hair were now short and gel backwards, with a few stray strands across his forehead. And of course, the missing arm.

"Iason broke that off did he?" Riki suddenly asked, breaking the minute silence as they gulp on their drinks. Guy paused, not really expecting the question, nodding only after a moment.  
"Thought I deserve it, after all I had done,"

"You were supposed to forget all about me," Riki muttered, his head lowered "You shouldn't even be talking to me right now,"  
Guy paused.  
"I know," He finally said. "I shouldn't even be forgive or allowed to live after what I did,"  
"But it's probably better this way, to let me shoulder the guilt. What I did was really unforgivable, Riki,"  
"I didn't want you to be punished for what I choose for myself," Riki replied back "it wasn't your fault…it was mine, I led you to that path,"

Guy stared back, not knowing what to say.  
Silence engulf them once again. In this room, with only the both of them. It felt like the old times, when it was him, Riki and Bison. When it felt like it was them against the world. He missed it.  
But those times had shattered, long over, never return. Riki's world now has Iason in it, and Guy is long out of it, a room that cared, but not loved.  
There was never really love in the first place anyway, it was an emotion that had long extinct here in the midst of the corrupted world called slums.

"What do you plan to do now?" Guy rubbed at the small cut on his face. Unlike Riki who miraculously escaped without broken bones, his injuries were light, only a few bruise blossoming on the side of his cheek.  
Riki lean back on the couch, the pain from the fight not even bothering him once. "I don't know," He frowned, producing the rings he had kept in his pocket. "Probably I will hunt Iason down again?"

Guy's heart sank, but he daren't show it. He was over with this jealousy….he think.  
"You know it's not as easy as it sound…right?" He reminded the other who nodded

"Well for all I know he won't let anyone near him…unless he demand them to," Riki clicked his tongue in annoyance "I can't believe how I use to run away from him but now I'm chasing after him," Riki cuped his face in his palms "You could laugh at how pathetic I become, Guy, it's stupid,"  
"Me, me of all people had decided to submit to him….I guess he really did tame me, eh?"

Guy watched his previous gang leader, reading his movements. It was unlike Riki to start saying this thing, but really, what has happened in this past few years that had been like Riki at all? It's fearful how much that blondy had manage to change Riki so much, up to the point that the mongrel would even choose to die beside him.  
Even though Guy is partly to blame for that.

He held his tongue, not really having any answer to Riki.

* * *

Katze worked in silence. His cold, placid office had been put back to place after the havoc wrecked by the Midas Police. Thankfully he didn't keep much items in there and no obvious harm was done. He finally sat back in his chair, and filed the pictures and document he had owned about Riki so far.

He was glad that Raoul showed no signs of knowing anything about Riki.  
Of course, Raoul's warning lingered at the back of his mind, his stern, cold and dangerous face reminding Katze about who is really in charge. But to Katze, there was only one master. It didn't take long for him to decide who he would betray.

Finally, he lean back on his chair for a smoke. The cigarette felt calming to his senses as he recalled back all the events so far.

Katze considered if Iason had actually planned all this, to actually lay this all out, the circumstances and what would happen after his death?  
Had Iason actually foresee that he would be reconstructed and let live?  
Was that the reason why he protected Riki? That they would probably be reunited like what they always say so sentimentally, reunited in the next life?  
Could there, possibly be a chance that this was all planned by him, a painstakingly good arrangement of events all laid out by the blondy?

If that was so, everyone would be played by Iason Mink unknowingly. Forget about lowly beings like him and Riki, even Raoul and Jupiter would be dancing on his palm. He would have total control over them. Had he actually manage to foresee this much?

Katze rubbed his temple. His master had always been difficult to figure out. Never letting any openings to people around him to guess what his true nature are. Iason Mink, the top of the hierarchy, the elites of elite, the head of the syndicate.

His downfall in Dana-Bahn had been the joke of the year to anyone who knew. How an elite at the top had 'loved' a mongrel from the lowest of the lowest, a mongrel from the slums. His fall was a shock, but many would have laugh at the thought of it, if they were given the chance to.

But if this was all part of Iason Mink's intricate plan, it would surely lick and burn their pride and ego, striking with an eminent blow that would tore their beliefs apart.

Katze was suddenly interrupted by an alert from his terminal, beeping away. He opened the call and Iason appeared on his hologram, his face still as cold as ever.

"Have you got the information I asked?" Iason demanded, clearly his patience is still as short.  
"Right here, master," Katze straightened up and pushed a button that would send the documents right up to Iason's terminal. Katze had thankfully stored a lot of details on the mongrel and was thankful that it was coming in handy this time round.

"Riki….eh?" Iason's eyes narrowed, looking into the profile that Katze prepared for him.  
Katze watch his master, for a sign of recognition towards the mongrel. His face seems interested but there was no sign of it anywhere.

"A lowly slum mongrel, I'm curious why would there be any interest in him though," Katze muttered. He had been a little more talkative then he needed to be these days. Iason gave no reply and continue looking at the items that Katze had piled up, the edge of his lips barely twitched.

"Katze, hire him," He commanded and one of Katze's eyebrow rose.  
It feels like a repeat of years ago where Iason had first shown a picture of Riki to him, demanding him to be hired.

"I do not care what job you give him, just make sure he stay within your sight," with that the call was cut off and Katze sighed, smoldering his cigarette that had nearly run out in an ash-tray.

The landslide has happen and the series of events had start to roll and unfurl in its own way. Iason had decided to play the exact same card he used during his first attempts on getting Riki previously but somehow, Katze believe things would be very, very different.

* * *

Iason sat at the soiree, oblivious to his pet in the circle with the other new pets, scrolling through his data slate. Riki had turn up to be very interesting indeed, even as a mongrel, the curious being had manage to build a name for himself, and even among the black market. No wonder why Katze had no problems gathering his information.

Bison was the gang that Riki reigned. His name was widely known in the slums but years ago, suddenly vanished, only to reappear in the slums for a short while before cutting all ties with his pairing partner and disappearing again.

Something nagged at the back of Iason's mind and somehow, he was curious if somehow this slum mongrel was connected to the gaps of missing memories in his mind. It sounds entirely impossible at first, but when he saw Riki's face, a struck of familiarity ran through him. It was curious, very curious indeed.  
It bugged him even more when he saw how similar Riki and Vaine are, and that Vaine was picked by Raoul, who had been consulted several times but did not buckle. Was there a clue that is missing somewhere? A puzzle piece that Iason had missed?

Raoul Am walk in, seeing his friend settled in his seat. "You are early,"  
"You're just late," Iason replied, coldly, putting his data slate away.

"Gideon and the rest aren't here, so it is considerably early," Raoul replied, sinking into his chair.  
"No, it just simply means you are late enough that they went wandering off," Iason snapped back and turn away, sipping his wine. Their little dispute previously weren't over yet, it seems.

The rest of the time were spent in silence for the two. Iason quietly sipped his tea as he watch Vaine in the circle, strangely getting along just fine with the other pets. Raoul instead watch Iason, studying his movements, wondering what the latter had been up to. The pet gave him no interest as he was sure and academy breed pet from the highest caliber will surely behave himself, unlike the previous one.

Iason suddenly took the liberty to cut off the silence they maintained.  
"Raoul," He said, playing with the glass in his hand "What are your opinions about the slums?"

* * *

_**Oh I finally got it out I have been out of ideas for a few days but I guess all is well o3o I do say that the next chapter would be interesting...at least to me haha. Welp, hope you enjoy. The next would be out real soon...I hope. Leave some reviews if you like, i would really like to know what do you guys think about the story...and it motivates me. Alot. Till next time~ XD**_


	7. Chapter 6

Raoul's raw anger was quite hard to contain. Katze tried to keep a calm façade when facing the blondy that had called earlier. His brow was knitted over his perfect face and his pupils dilated. It was the first time Katze had witnessed such raw emotion from a blondy and he could very much guess where it came from, his fears confirmed when Raoul interrogated Katze about Riki's whereabout.

"I know not what you are talking about," He replied. Katze knew of what Raoul Am is capable of. One word from the blondy he could be dragged away, his mind extracted and wash clean. An ex-furniture would probably be not much use as a sex-doll but surely what Katze knew of his life would be very much over.  
He would not even dare go against this blondy, if it isn't because Katze is convince that Raoul's hands are tied by Iason.

"Iason has started to remember!" Raoul tried to bottle his anger but is clearly failing "You leaked something to him, did you not!"  
Katze breathed and let the blondy settle down. "I am clearly just his underground dog, my lord, I daren't go against you,"  
"Do not lie, Katze!" Raoul warned "I can have your tongue cut and your limbs torn, it wouldn't even trouble me to have the truth extracted right out of your brains, Katze!"

A chill ran down Katze's spine. He knew that Raoul would surely carry out what threat he had spat at Katze without a blink of an eye if only Iason did not stand in the middle. To think that he would use his master as a shield….  
But of course, there is a limit of how much protection he could get.

"What have he done to convince you of such, my lord?" Katze started after a moment of pause "Aren't your skills high enough to not allow such a matter?"  
"Mongrels!" Raoul slammed a fist on the table "Iason, suddenly asking about those trash of the slums!" "That mongrel pet, was his body not found from the rubbles of Dana-Bahn?!"

Katze paused. The fact that Raoul finally brought up the question he dreaded means that surely Riki's capture had manage to slip Raoul's notice the other time? Was it simply a miracle? Katze remained careful though. Riki's existence would surely come to light sooner or later. Time is against him.

"We found the body, my lord," Katze kept calm, assuring the blondy, hoping his lie would not be seen through "It was too damaged for any use so my man simply dispose of it,"  
"If so, why wasn't I informed?" Raoul narrowed his eyes and lean back against his chair but Katze simply bowed "My apologies, I had assumed that the recovery of a mongrel's body would have no interest to you,"

Raoul heaved a breath "I can see that this conversation will go nowhere with you,"  
Katze nodded apologetically. Did the blondy see through his lie? Nevertheless, he kept calm and gave a quick reply "My lord, I will make sure that you are informed if anything strange arose,"

"You better." With that, the call was cut and Katze finally heaved a sigh of relieve. Raoul had clearly warned him that he had not escaped his attention, not even after his release. The blondy had contacted him less though…

Suddenly, a ringing resounded through the speaker. Nice timing. Katze opened the door and let Riki in. "Didn't take so hard to navigate the underground labyrinth eh?" Katze greeted as the ex-pet marched in.

"What do you want," Riki went straight to the point, staring down at Katze.  
The edge of Katze's lips slightly twitch. "Congratulations," He said, leaning forward "You got Iason's attention,"

At this, Riki brightened up. "What?"  
"It seems there was an error on his memories after all….one way or another, Iason got interested about you, right after the police incident,"

Riki frowned. "What about that Raoul?"  
"Didn't he found out about me?"

"It seems somehow you slipped his attention," Katze was still puzzled at this though he didn't show it, keeping his cold demeanor and leaving out how Raoul had behaved earlier "But it's best to still be careful….anyway, Iason told me to give you a job,"

Riki paused, and then stifled a laughter, sinking into the couch at the side of the room. "What, is this going to be a repeat from when he first made me pet?" It sounded weird upon his tongue, as if a peppery substance rose from his throat "Still the same as ever, ain't he,"

Katze paused, studying the mongrel. He noticed that Riki had hung the master and pet ring around his neck on a chain. How ironic. "Are you taking this on then, Riki?"  
Riki stopped to consider, then finally agreed. "There's not much I can do after all….maybe he did planned this, for me to lose everything and fall back upon his arms," He grinned, although there was sadness in his eyes.  
"But know this, Katze, I'm not aiming to be his pet again, no way in hell I will allow that to happen," He spread his arms wide "I intend to keep this freedom,"

There is only two things you could hold on in life, two hands to grab unto what is most important and to Riki, it seems that he had found his answer.

Katze stared in amazement. Although he wasn't sure how Riki intend to pull this through he was indeed interested to see how the events would unfurl itself.

"Indeed," Katze said, his eyes fix on the mongrel as he lit a cigarette "I would like to see how that would happen,"  
Riki gave an irritated groan and got up "How do you intend to make me work though?" He asked "With me not able to show my face around,"

Katze straightened up, his scarlet hair still covered a side of his face, but his horrendous scar still visible to all "We can't be too careful either," He muttered, deducing "If I keep you into the shadows too much, Iason would lose interest, but if you stay into the spotlight, Raoul would instead be aware," He sighed "Given the circumstances, I would suggest you to do some office work with me…probably build your name in the shadows,"

"Heh," Riki grinned, pocketing his palms "Apatia all over again eh?"  
Katze glanced back at the mongrel. "You don't like it?"  
"Who said anything about that?" Riki snapped back  
"Good, because your opinion doesn't really matter and your job starts now," He muttered and pointed at the empty table in the corner with his jaw. Riki remembered how he once sat at that exact same place when he worked for Katze as a pet kept in Apatia.

Riki clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked towards his table, getting straight to work while Katze watch the ex-pet earnestly.

* * *

"How is your research going so far?" Gideon Lagat cooed as he walk past Raoul Am, who turned with impulse. "How did you know-"  
"Oh it's nothing really," Gideon replied, waving at Raoul nonchalantly. "You are always up to something, see?"  
Raoul glared back, irritated.

Tanagura seems to be bursting with activities, what with the elites bustling around from floor to floor and walking in and out of Eos tower. Raoul was making his way hurriedly to Jupiter's tower when he crossed path with Gideon.

Gideon had never really gave Raoul much of an impression to Raoul, just mainly one of his other thirteen blondy brothers, there to be the face of Jupiter. Unlik most of them, Gideon kept a calm but playful façade, often the type that likes to sit back and watch as the events played before him.

"Good day, Gideon," Raoul turn the topic away from his research. Whatever he have in his lab is none of Gideon's business.  
"Stiff as usual," Was all Gideon replied before giving his 'brother' a pat on his shoulder and walked off. Raoul stared for a while at the silhouette of the other. The blondies are all given their own specific sector, with Iason's being as the face of the underground's black market and Raoul the biochemist, in charge of anything science related.  
They got along, but not as close yet not as far, always maintaining the strict kind of relationship. Regretfully, this also applied to Raoul's 'friendship' with Iason, which currently seem so fragile, ready to shatter anytime.

Raoul turned and march away, a strange kind of feeling blossoming within him. Could this be the emotions that he had tried to seal away from long ago? His hatred for that mongrel pet, his disappointment when he could not achieve what he wanted while reconstructing Iason for Jupiter and the anger that he felt pulsing through his veins when he heard Iason mentioned about the mongrels?

Was it even possible for Iason to retrieve back those memories that he lost in the first place? Raoul had erased it, but what if Iason had a way to preserve it, something unknown to even Raoul?  
What if, as Jupiter suspected, Riki really did live?

"What did he actually see in such a trash anyway!" He muttered under his breath, suddenly remembering how Iason had manage to even intervene in his business with Katze. He huffed and walk on, making his way to Jupiter tower.

However, imagine his shock when the first word that Jupiter greets him with as soon as he entered were:

_He lived._

"What?" Raoul quickened into the room as Jupiter's hologram built itself and materialized around him, forming a silhouette of a gigantic being they called Jupiter. The space around them flashed and revealed the footage from when Katze was captured.

_You are a fool to have missed it. _

Raoul watched as the footage progressed, Katze shoved out of his office….followed by two more behind him, a brown haired man and….another with dark, unruly hair, obviously struggling wildly against the officer, with a face that Raoul admittedly unable to keep out of his head.  
"How is that possible—" Raoul admitted that he paid no attention to the capture after being intervened by Iason, shocked by the display of power the other blondy had shown.

_He was hiding, out of our sight, Raoul, and surely Iason had noticed him too._

So that was the reason for the question Iason had raised during the Pet coming out party. Raoul had casually brushed the question away, although he was confused why Iason would ask such a question. He decided not to pursue an answer but now, everything was clear.  
And it seems that, of course, Katze was not to be trusted.

_Find out about this, Raoul, I do not want this matter to be unsettled. That mongrel's existence in itself is a danger._

"Yes, of course," Raoul bowed with respect and Jupiter faded away. Darkness once again flooded the room as the mechanism shut itself down, leaving Raoul alone. He stared into space for a moment, keeping calm as he decided which course of action he would take. Finally he turn on his heels and left.

* * *

It was a few weeks after Riki's employment. Katze had kept a steady report to Iason on the mongrel's work and the blondy had shown quite an interest in what Riki had been doing. Meanwhile, the fact that Katze had not receive any call from Raoul started to worry him. It all felt a little too easy…yet fishy. After all, it was really impossible that Riki had actually manage to slip past the blondy's attention.

It wasn't long before things started stirring up though. Katze receiving odd orders from people he had never heard off, demanding products to be delivered at odd hours that even Riki who worked in the background started to feel something fishy.  
This was reported to Iason of course, but the blondy could only knit his brow and order Katze to stand by.

"Maybe Raoul had started noticing something…" Katze sighed when the call was finally cut. Riki turned to him from his table. "You reckon his behind all this?" Riki asked, turning away from his own terminal. "Well anyway, I'm done here," He announced, getting up.

Katze nodded and turn back to his work "Make sure you stay out of sight…where are you staying nowadays though?"  
"Guy's," Riki replied, to which Katze replied with a glance  
"The dude is rarely home anyway," The mongrel shrugged

"I believe he is now known as Ray," Katze raise an eyebrow "A lone ranger in the black market, working for no one in particular…"  
"Yeah, well that's just a name," Riki got up from his chair and grabbed his jacket from the corner "Changing his face and all would not mean anything if he didn't change his name as well,"

"Well, tell me whenever if you need a room," Katze interrupted, not really caring about Guy "I will make the necessary arrangement,"

Riki was about to leave when he paused and turn back to Katze. "Hey, I was wondering, if you know what happened to Bison?"

Katze raised an eyebrow "Shouldn't that information be more known to Guy?"  
"He stayed away so he hadn't hear anything about them since…well, that incident," Riki replied, folding his arm. Katze straightened up and went back to his terminal, opening a file that contained all of the incidents in Ceres.  
"Well, they are pretty much no more," Katze replied "Evaporated into the dull lives of Ceres….not that I can blame them…the group that runs rampant and claiming they reign Ceres right now calls themselves Skullz,"

"Ha," Riki huffed, amused "interesting name, I would expect them to leave graffiti of a skull wherever they go,"  
Katze was silent for a moment, leaning back in his chair, he gave Riki a stern glare.  
"What?" The mongrel asked "Don't tell me they seriously did that?"

"That, and occasionally leaving real skulls behind," Katze revealed "apparently, they are active going around bringing down other groups that fought for the throne which Bison had left empty, wherever they go, they leave a mess, hideouts bombed, stolen belongings, not that there's much to steal in a dump like Ceres….fights, bike racing, daredevil games….typical,"

"Well, they are just a couple of brats freshly graduated from Guardian," Riki retorted and left, tucking his jacket in.

Katze watch him leave, turning to look back at his terminal that now displayed a profile of that slum gang. This is a group that rose when Riki fell. It's not strange for groups as such to be formed around Ceres. Brats freshly graduated from Guardian wandered aimlessly in Ceres, not having any particular heading, they were easily recruited and pulled into different groups, giving themselves names and traveling in packs, starting all sorts of trouble in Ceres just so they could fight the everyday demon that pestered them, the demon that called itself boredom.

Bison was just one of them, but because Riki was there, it rose to the top. No one dared to even think of messing with them while Riki stood at the there, a bright flame of red hot determination that could overturn an enemy easily just by a glance. So when Riki disappeared, Bison did too, crumbling into depths, allowing other groups such as Jeeks or Skullz to rise, fighting for the empty seat at the top of their little distorted world.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the other side of the office, in one of the small underground tunnel labyrinth that Riki now used as his daily means to travel around, the mongrel walk through in silence, with only plain white neon lights to guide his way.

After using this path a couple of times, Riki had grown used to the turns and corners of the place. His peaceful days are of course, quite limited. He wouldn't even know if Raoul Am had already found out about him, and is planning on an ambush sooner or later. For now, all he could do is choke in this make-believe peace.

He was growing impatient. Why couldn't Katze just tell him? Of course, there's the question of that proud-ass blondy actually believing it…but really, what does Iason intend him to do? Wait out for the blondy to suddenly appear again like last time, in a disguise and sweep him off his feet to Tanagura? Hah. Riki laughed at the thought, irritation suddenly flooded him when he thought how foolish he was the first time.

If he hadn't stubbornly followed Iason that time, would he still have his life back? It was all because of his twisted pride, but at the end of the day, he couldn't even protect them.

Suddenly, the ground started to rock.  
Alerted, the mongrel paused, watching his surroundings. Everything started to shake, dust and dirt found itself falling above Riki and the mongrel quickened his pace. The very foundation of the earth was shaking so much even keeping his footings were hard. Behind him, he heard horrendous roars that echoed into the tunnel, putting Riki at all ends. The bell at the back of his head rang furiously, signifying incoming danger. He needed to get out of here, quickly. By now he was running so fast and he felt raw fear seizing him, his heart pounding against his chest, sweat beaded his temple.

An earthquake? But it was not known for that to happen in Amoi. It must be something else. But right now, surrounded by earth itself, Riki focused on getting out before things get worse.

He had manage to reach the end of the tunnel when the shaking finally stopped and everything settled itself. Breathless, Riki quickly exited, patting the dust out of his clothes, glad to feel the outside air upon his face.

His wrist terminal beeped as he ducked into a corner and out of sight. Katze appeared in the hologram, looking worried.  
"It seems that you are out of the tunnel," Katze heaved a sigh of relief

"What happened?" Riki asked, walking into the shadows to make his way home.

"Bombing, explosions right above the path you take," Katze replied, lighting a cigarette.  
"Bombing?" The mongrel frowned "In Apatia?"  
Katze nodded. "The tunnel collapsed, but it seems you manage to skip out of trouble, again,"  
Riki dismissed the memory of his experience. "I don't die that easily," Riki snapped "As if we haven't proved that,"  
"Well in any case, just stay out of the way for now," Katze rested his hand on his temple and took a drag from his cigarette "There is going to be police everywhere thanks to this, so you better stay low,"

Riki nodded and turn the call off. Bombing? In Apatia? Could it be a terrorist attack?


	8. Chapter 7

In which a city of translucent light and entertainment, Apatia stood tall renowned as a place where one would keep their lovers. However it was of no warning when tragedy struck, explosions resounding through the roots of skyscrapers, causing one of the tall apartment buildings to fall in a devastating crash. On that day, it was reported that there was more than a dozen of casualties, pets and elites alike.

Orphe Zavi was in distraught. As the head of the security not only in Eos tower but also Midas, he had sent hundreds of his drones and rescue men to help ease the numbers and clear away the rubble so that anyone trapped could be retrieved, alive or not. The full investigation will not be allowed to proceed as long as there are still people being pulled out of the rubble.  
He frowned in disgust, wondering if terrorist around Midas had started to move again.

It had been long since the last terrorist attacks, the latest recorded being the explosion of Dana-Bahn a year ago, which Raoul had insisted to be shushed up. Jupiter had no qualms about the gag order so the other blondies had complied, but of course, Orphe had his doubts, even worse when he noticed Iason Mink's absence for a year, only returning when he was reported to have a new body. As if that wasn't enough, the pet that the head of the syndicate was so obsessed about before, was no where to be found.

Of course, Orphe had often questioned as to why a blondy like Iason Mink would choose to play with a filth of the slums was beyond him. Until now, he had kept quiet about it, and seeing how Iason himself had not mentioned anything about his pet had made him choose to hold his tongue and not pursue that question any further.

But now, with the explosion in Apatia, Orphe dreaded that the events were somehow connected. He frowned as he went through the documents from his terminal, processing it as fast as a blondy could manage. There wasn't a single mention about what happened in Dana-Bahn. Why was that? Why had Raoul insisted that all documents related be erased?

Down in Apatia, Orphe wasn't the only person to be drowned in confusion and doubts. The citizen gathered with curiosity and tongues begun to wag. Some raised the possibility of the explosion being connected to the events at Dana-Bahn a year ago. But this, this would be different. Unlike Dana-Bahn which was reported to be zero-causalities, this building that exploded contained many residents who had lived there when the explosion happened. The elites would want answers, not to mentioned that Apatia was a known place for them to keep and hide away their pets that they do not fancy to be kept in Tanagura.

The citizens could only stand there and watch, elites alike while the rescue mission took place, some of them noticing a little queer piece that drew their attention away to a building next to the site of the rubble. This building, unlike the other had manage to stand tall, even with the impact of the explosion shattering most of it's windows. But there, on a slate of wall, was a graffiti of vibrant colours, which in the middle was a picture of a skull, so realistic it was that it seemed that the deceased was staring back at them with it's gaping eye holes and it's grinning jaw.  
Some who saw shivered, feeling the cold air against the nape of their neck, wondering if the little piece of art would be any significant to the case.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Guy's place, Riki sank into the couch at the corner of the room, setting a bottle of stout fresh from the cooling box on the coffee table. He pulled out his data slate, which Katze had graciously loaned to him to ease his job and checked for the news. There wasn't much reported about the explosion in Apatia, only that the casualties are still unknown and the rescue mission is still taking place. However, in the comments of the news thread implored Riki's attention, where someone had left a comment, asking if anyone had seen the graffiti of a skull on a nearby wall.  
It was insignificant when it comes to the explosion that had happened but Riki recalled back what Katze had mentioned in the office.  
_They left graffiti of skulls in their wake, maybe even real ones._

But Skullz was nothing but a group of brats gathered for a show of power in Ceres. It would take alot of guts for them to actually be involved in the bombing in Apatia. Even more, these brats, to Riki would just sit in the gutter and drown in their useless power struggle to even mind about what is happening in Midas, unless they were going there for a joy ride, to risk pick pocketing credit cards from the rich, just for the thrill of it, they would very well stay away from the fangs of Midas.

Once again, he pulled out the terminal on his wrist and dialled for Katze, who picked up at the first ring with a very irritated face.  
"The bombing in Apatia-" Riki started before getting interrupted  
"Yes, if you think that it's the Skullz, then I have taken note of it," Katze snapped "I have seen the messages and it's natural for me to have seen the graffiti with my office so near to Apatia, Riki,"

Taken aback, the mongrel discussed the possibility of the Ceres gang being involved. Katze frowned, reminding him about how the brats of Ceres would normally just sit aback and cower instead of causing such a large scale nuisance in a city outside of Ceres.  
"Well in any case, what I said earlier is still in effect, Riki," Katze reminded him "Stay clear, the last thing I want on my list is Raoul dragging me away because I hid a curious mongrel that was meant to have die consumed by the flames of Dana-Bahn,"

Riki complied and quickly cut off the call, evident that his 'superior' had been caught in the middle of the chaos in the black market, which had of course threw into an uproar thanks to the explosion. whatever it is, for now, all Riki could do is wait in the darkness for the truth to come out.

His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard the lock at the door dislodging itself and Guy filtering in, his clothes in obvious rags and dirt in his face.  
Riki got up, surprised. "What happened?"

"The explosion in Apatia," Guy dusted himself and took of his coat, throwing it into the corner of the room "I was nearly caught in the tunnel,"  
Why would Guy be in the tunnel at that time too? Riki was tempted to ask, but seeing how Guy now works in the black market as well, he hold his tongue. Down there, in the underground, all information is confidential, unless you would want your clients to wring your guts out for leaking confidential information, one would normally keep quiet about their businesses in the dark world. The younger one could only stare at Guy, contemplating to ask or not to.

Undoubtedly, Guy could still read his face like an open book. "Yes, I was there for business," He muttered and pat the other, signalling him to relax "I'm fine and don't worry there is no way I could be involved in that explosion,"  
Riki stared after him. "I didn't say you could be involved..." He replied, although of course there was still the possibility, considering how Guy had manage to turn Dana-Bahn into ashes.

Riki rested back on the couch, suddenly noting Guy's scent all over the leather cover. Guy had slept on the couch during Riki's free-loading, insisting him to take the bed instead. Riki had of course, refused but slowly complied to it.  
From the corner of his eye, Guy watched his ex-leader gulping down the contents of the stout bottle in his hand. It has been a few weeks since Riki stayed over. Guy had been home only once in awhile, avoiding the urge to return home so that he could lay eyes on Riki. He was only home today due to the worry that overtook him in the tunnel, when he remembered that the area that collapsed was the exact path that Riki always take to work. He could swear that his heart could drop with relieve when he found Riki safe and sound in his room.

Of course, he knew that he had no right to worry about Riki, who graciously seem to put their conflict in the past to rest. Not even once had he mentioned about what happened that fateful day a year ago, to which Guy was very, eternally grateful. He had undoubtedly done terrible things to Riki. Yet, this could not sedate the longing he still had for Riki, like a bottle of gas that had it's cap loose.  
Every part of Riki's body seem to called upon him and it took a large amount of energy to not comply. Finally, all he could do is opt to stay away from the house he had agreed to let Riki stayed over in, despite how they had always shared one in the past together.

* * *

"The mongrel," Iason Mink muttered into the screen "I trust that he is alright?"  
"Stubbornly alive, my lord," Was Katze's short reply. The question had slipped in while Katze reported to his blondy master of the incidents in the Black Market that had been caused the explosion in Apatia. However, the evident change of relief in Iason Mink's face was hard to miss. "He had thankfully, left the tunnel in time before the impact of the explosion hit the tunnel, jumping straight to investigations in his own ways, I might say," Katze continued. Seeing the relieve on his master's face was surprising enough. By now, he was convince that Riki had not really been completely erased out of Iason's being. Finally, he dared himself to ask the question that he had held back since Iason first contacted him about Riki.

"Forgive me, master, as this is not in my place to ask," He started "But I am curious as to what a mongrel such as Riki had to arouse such attention from you, my lord,"  
Iason paused, his sapphire eyes seem to pierced at Katze, the question was unexpected. Furthermore, it was also a question that the blondy had seemed to constantly ask himself, wondering why was he so convinced that a mongrel from the dump like Ceres, above all, be related to the gaps of his empty memories. Yet somehow, something in him was screaming for him to keep his tabs on Riki. But as the days progressed, he grew more and more interested in the mongrel, curious at the course of action Riki would chose when faced with a problem in his work.  
Admittedly, thanks to Riki, many of the conflicts within the black market was solved quickly and disposed of, actions that Katze would not think of was initiated instead by Riki, impressing even the blondy himself.

"A year ago, Katze," Iason started "I had stopped contacting you, yet you remained loyal to me when I returned, even managed to keep your job steady in my absence,"  
"I have received orders, sir," Katze replied, knowing full well what had actually happened to Iason. He had kept the black Market running thanks to Raoul's command.  
"Indeed, I could've guessed that Raoul was behind this, yet why I would wake up in a new body and incomplete memories was beyond me," Iason frowned. Katze was surprised that Iason was discussing this with him. It was a strange leap in the relationship he had with his master, which seemed in the past years to be solely, and strictly master and slave.

But Iason frowned, and soon turned the topic away, unwilling to bring it any further than he already had. Soon, they were discussing about how best to patch the problems in the black market, of course, Riki being one part of the solutions.

"I look forward to meet him," Iason suddenly said, taking Katze by surprise. He glanced at his master, pausing for a moment, before nodding in reply. "Yes, my lord, I will make the suitable arrangement,"  
"Don't bother," was all Iason's reply "I will see to it when the time comes,"

Katze paused again, taking only a second before he bowed and gave his usual reply of respect as the call cut off.

He was ordered to be on standby while the elites get to the root of the problem, strictly minding his own business in the underground and try to keep it as calm as possible. There was two things that lingered in the ex-furniture's mind however. One was the evident interest that Iason had seemed to develop for Riki, which was a really good start, and the other, being the involvement of now famous Ceres gang, Skullz, in the explosion.

* * *

Orphe walked into Raoul Am's lab, going as far as the biochemist allowed him to. Raoul busied himself across the room, occasionally grabbing test tubes on the table with strange liquids of every known colour to Orphe. He frowned at the experiment on the table, a deformed creature of sort, no bigger than his palm, though he concluded to not even attempt to ask about it.  
Raoul finally stopped in his tracks, pulling off the gloves he had on and disposing it in a bin.

"If this is about the explosion in Apatia, here is my say: it has nothing to do with me," Raoul snapped as he walked to his desk, picking up his data slate. Orphe rolled his eyes, he wasn't here for an interrogation...well at least it wasn't about what happened in Apatia. Everyone knows Raoul is more of a lab-person. If there is any reason to blow up dozens of pets, it would be a very bored Gideon Lagat or Aisha Rozen, who always seem so cunning to slip past any defence or security that Orphe set up, though both of course, seemed impossible too.

"I'm here to inquire about Dana-Bahn," Orphe snapped straight to the point. Raoul paused, startled "You reported a year ago that the explosion in Dana-Bahn which also brought casualties to Neal Darts was the involvement of terrorist,"  
"I very well did," Raoul frowned, sweeping a lock of blonde curl out of his face  
"Yet why, was no arrest being made?" Orphe questioned, to which Raoul seemed to frowned in reply.

"Would it be easier if I admit that the culprit was impossible to track?" Raoul replied  
"It is impossible for that, because in the records there was no action taken at all," Orphe insisted "There is also the question of Iason Mink disappearing for a year, to which Jupiter had insisted us to shut up about it but I am not going to keep out of this, Raoul Am, I demand an answer or else the case in Apatia is going to hit a wall too!" The blondy had cut Raoul off when he tried to interrupt him. The stare Orphe gave to Raoul was so intense it would sent a normal person to their feet, but of course, it had no effect on Raoul Am, the blondy second in command right after Iason.

Raoul let the silence linger as he studied the other, quietly developing a plan within him.

"If you want a capture," He finally whispered "Seek out the mongrel that Iason Mink was so crazily obsessed about, the mongrel that had seen the face of death and escaped, bending every rules known to men just so he could remain breathing."

The air around them was tensed when Raoul finally let it slipped.

"Mongrel pet?" Orphe frowned, the name had been a taboo to be raised around Raoul, and banned from even mentioning around Iason. The pet from the slums that Iason Mink, the head of the blondies and the favorite of Jupiter had lusted for, causing a plunge of his career. "The one named Riki?"

"Exactly the one named Riki," Raoul spat out with malice, the hatred he felt for Riki was far too deep to comprehend. Ever since Jupiter's revealed to him that the filth was very much alive, he had sent man all over Ceres, much to their disgust, to keep an eye out for the mongrel but his efforts was a waste as Riki was strangely smart enough to avoid the watchful eyes of his men. He had felt like a fool to missed out on the capture of Riki, allowing Katze to easily tricked him.  
It was not like him at all, a blondy that is careful in all he does was so easily tricked, fooled and toyed by a mongrel, a filth born from the gutter. Oh how he longed to drag Katze in and torture the ex-furniture until every last bit of information was squeezed out of that liar, but his hands are tied, fearing that any action would not only raised more questions from Iason, but completely shattering that frail bond they had which Raoul had treasured as friendship.

"I had assumed that Iason had disposed of him," if that mongrel was involved in the events of Dana-Bahn...and if he was alive, could it be that Apatia was also caused by him too? Orphe had his doubts.  
"Don't be a fool, Orphe," Raoul snapped "If Iason would even bring the same mongrel back from Ceres and allow him to exist as his pet, bending the rules to his whim just so he could make sure that Riki, who is well over the qualifications of being pet to a blondy such as him, would you seriously believe that Iason would 'dispose' of so easily after all the efforts he had placed in that filth?"

As Orphe contemplate about the possibility of such, Raoul turned away. Here it is, the perfect reason to have Riki dragged in. The bombing may or may not relate to that pet, but it was a chance that Raoul intend to cease to erase the problem, once and for all. The matter about Katze could also be brought in, further allowing Raoul the upper hand.  
"If you want your answer, then seek out that mongrel pet and his little companions,"

* * *

**_Here it comes! I had fun writing this chapter~ The next one should be out soon enough. Any way, as usual, reviews are very much appreciated, thank you~~_**


	9. Chapter 8

The air echoed with a soft hum as Orphe Zavi lay in his seat, his arms rested on the terminal and his eyes shut. With the system connected directly to his brain, it was not strange that the blondy had the ability to process more than a hundred documents in a minute.  
By the time he was done, the slight migraine was unavoidable, softly humming through his head as he got up, allowing the irritating sensation in his temples to fade away.

There was a lot on his plate, from what he had seen from the processing earlier, yet the real annoyance was when he was faced with petty complaints from the Midas's citizens, ignorant in their ways, pest controls, misplaced of cash cards, mongrels in the streets…..those are nothing compared to the bigger issue at hand, the bombing of Apatia.

With so many casualties that involved the pets of the elite class and citizens alike, soon they will be demanding answers. The pressure of their eagerness is not something that Orphe wants to work with.

His thoughts lingered to the conversation he had with Raoul. The mongrel pet once obsessed over by Iason Mink seems to be involved in the collapse of Dana Bahn. He was in dire need to seek for an answer and find the connection between those attacks but with his men deployed all over Ceres and Midas to seek out the ex-pet, there was not much he could do.  
Right now, he had to deal with the matters at hand, problems which cannot be solved through the terminals.

"Came to join the party, Orphe?" Aisha Rozen chided "It's rare to see you out of your office these days,"  
As usual, Orphe found Aisha at a lounge sipping his wine with a carefree manner. Next to him, Gideon sat leaning near to the window, taking in the breathless sight of Midas spread across him as far as the eye could see, with the sore spot of Apatia's collapsed structure in the distance.  
"I thought with the recent case you would not even step away from your terminal,"

"There are some things that cannot be solved through the terminal," He snapped at Aisha, not really favoring his carefree attitude. Aisha may be the blondy that hold the less power in the syndicate but that does not mean he could sit here, slacking the day away.

"Don't be sore, sit down and have a drink with us," Gideon Lagat look away from the window, raising his glass at the head of security.  
"Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of drinking with you both," Orphe refused "Gideon, I heard that your pet was caught in the events of the bombing in Apatia,"

Gideon's eyes lit up, as if he was surprised to be asked by Orphe.  
"She was," Gideon replied "She manage to escape with only a few scratches, but is now hospitalized for monitoring, though I think it's high time that I get a new pet, however,"

"May I speak with her?" Orphe asked, Gideon was even surprised that the blondy was asking favors of him, though in truth, it would be more of a hassle for Orphe to seek out other pet owners or anyone else who was involved in the incident.  
"If you must, though even if I say no, you would probably use your status against me," Gideon finally said, finding the matter very amusing indeed "She's in the central, room 508 it seems. My furniture is attending to her even as we speak,"

Orphe turned away wordlessly but paused in his track when his wrist terminal beeped in attention. At the same time, both Aisha and Gideon's wrist terminal was sending alerts too. Activating the hologram, Orphe could only frowned at the latest news on the screen.

There was yet another bombing, again.

* * *

When Guy awoke, he could hear the occasional beeps and alerts of Riki's data slate. It was high noon and the bright light of day filtered through the gaps of Guy's barricaded windows. Riki was on the bed, donning on a simple black singlet. Guy could see the numerous scars that littered his body, prove that the events of Dana Bahn really did happened, as much as he tried to deny the guilt that followed after it.

However, watching Riki's concentrated face as the mongrel focused over his work on his data slate could send a jab into Guy's heart, as he understood what and who Riki was actually working for, unlike the last time. No matter the circumstances, there was still a twinge of jealousy within him.  
Pulling off the sheets, he got out of the couch, recalling his chores for the day. Riki seemed to ignore him, drowning in his own work.

"Morning," Guy finally said from behind the counter after refreshing himself. Only then, did Riki raised his head to acknowledge him and correct him, noting the time on his dataslate that announced noon instead. Guy simply shrugged "Working again?"  
"What else would I be doing, now that I no longer am able to go to the office…" Riki's answer was simple and his gaze were still fixed on the screen. This however irritated Guy more.

"Are you sure it's worth it?" He suddenly asked "What would you gain from all this?"  
Riki ignored him, casually typing away.  
Silence enveloped them as Guy drowned in his awkward attempt for conversation. There was a visible knit of the brow on Riki's face, indicating how the ex-leader of Bison do not want to pursue the matter any further.  
"How would you know if that blondy would even want to see you again?" Despite that, Guy just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Riki immediately raised his attention to Guy, who stood idly behind the counter, staring back. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but it somehow had slipped through. Maybe the longing he still had for Riki had not disappeared, maybe it never will, but the look that Riki was giving him right now seemed to echo in pain and longing, one that Guy had never witnessed before.  
But that face was completely wiped off without a trace in a mere second when Riki set down his data slate, a terrible air around him.

"Whose fault did you think it is?" Riki replied, his gaze fixed on Guy.  
This made Guy stop, considering how he was the one at fault, plunging Riki and Iason into this mess.  
"Don't even think for one second that because I didn't say anything I have already forgive you, Guy," Riki spat, switching off his data slate and getting out of the bed.

He grabbed his jacket from the peg and wordlessly left the house, leaving Guy to feel the sharpness of his own words against his chest.

* * *

This time, it was Mistral Park's entrance. A particular statue of Jupiter that was erected there had blew up, collapsing on those who passed through. There was minor casualties, due to the fact that it happened early in the morning, when many was still sleeping their dreams away in Midas. Yet thankfully and the damage wasn't as big as the one in Apatia. Orphe stood at the site, arms crossed. He was furious that the terrorist manage to slip through the securities that he had imposed around Midas. The unknown was irritating him terribly.

He had skipped the talk with Gideon's pet and immediately rush here in his car. Drones and rescue men were busy clearing the dirt away to see if anyone was still trapped in the rubble. He look about, taking note of the few cameras in the surroundings. How had the terrorist escape their attention? How did they actually bring the explosive in to the park?

"My lord, you should probably see this," One of his men said from a distance. The blondy walked towards the spot, threading carefully upon the dirt and there, where the sand and rubble were cleared away was a small graffiti on the concrete pavement.

An image of a skull with gaping eye sockets and a grinning jaw glared back at him.

* * *

Ceres, the dirt clumping on the street, the inhabitants drowning in their own twisted kinds of pleasure, very much different from the kinds that Midas enjoyed. Drink cans littered the street and the brats freshly graduated from Guardian carelessly rode their bikes around, getting into street racing, plainly causing havoc in their wake.  
This is Ceres, the forsaken city that had fought for freedom and yet could only wallow in the bitter taste of their own medicine. To the people of Ceres, there was no meaning to life except to find outlets to cure their boredom, striving not to just get swallowed up by time and age in this gutter.

At this part of the city, it was quiet, shadows stretch along every corner, making it as dark as night. People who traveled through here would just tripped or get lost if they weren't familiar with the nooks and corners of the walls and the pavement. To Riki, it was the path that he took every day so that he could get to Katze's office.

He had stayed coop up in Guy's house for three days already. It was hard for a wild person like him to stay low but what Guy spluttered out a moment ago stabbed him like a million knives and he had walked out of the door in the moment of heat.

_How would you know if that blondy would even want to see you again?_

The word echoed through his mind, lingering like a thorn in his meat. Of course Riki had considered this before, knowing how Iason had manage to move on without him. He had a new life, maybe a new pet. Jealousy stabbed him even harder as he thought of the possibility of a new pet in Iason's embraced, the place that he loathed very much yet now longed to be.  
Riki had lost even the most important thing that would qualify him as a man. What had once been Iason's most favorite plaything had been ripped away from him by force. Why would an elite blondy like Iason Mink would want an incomplete being like Riki?

He felt something sank in him. Why was he carelessly chasing after a shadow that has left him, for good? What was his effort for? Guy might be right. Iason might be curious and interested of him due to the gap of his memories, but if he did found and understand the meaning behind it, Riki would be thrown away, an incomplete existence like all the other pets that had been disposed of because the term of their usage had expired.  
It was stupid to let what Guy said get to him. Riki knew that his ex-pairing partner still harbor a longing for him, and jealousy had led the words to be spat out of his yearning lips. Riki had not want to return being a pet again but he was carelessly grasping on to the existence of Iason Mink, who had snatched away everything from him and even deny him death.

He leaned on the wall and sank to the ground, feeling something died within him yet again, the same feeling he felt when he first woke up, with nothing left but his own miserable life.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps in the distance, walking up to him with a steady pace. He smell the smoke in the air and lifted his head, taking note of the scarlet hair and the huge scar across his face.  
"What is it?" Riki muttered, clearly not in the mood to see his boss  
Katze stared back at the mongrel, seeing how pathetic he looked crouching against the wall, defenseless and sulking yet again, a face that he had not seen ever since Riki left the room that Katze locked him in.

Katze had decided to take a detour on his way back from work when he noticed Riki's tracker was out of place. The wrist terminal that Katze loaned him had a tracker system and seeing how Riki was out of the house in a dangerous time had made him decide to pay the foolish mongrel a visit, only to find him pathetic and wallowing in his own self-pity.

"Get up," Katze said, pulling the mongrel up after he had smothered his cigarette bud on the floor and Riki complied, crawling to his feet and shaking the ex-furniture away.

"What do you want?" Riki spat, pocketing his hand, his usual attitude resurfacing again.  
Katze glance back at him as he patted the dirt out of his clothing.  
"Iason was really glad that you made it out of the tunnel alive, you know,"

"Yeah," Riki only replied "Whatever," He turned to leave, clearly, Katze was here to remind him of his stupid house arrest again.  
Seeing how lifeless he is though, Katze couldn't resist an irritated frown.  
"I wonder who was it that announced so proudly that he want to make Iason pay for forgetting about him?"

Riki paused.

"Who was it that do not want to be his pet again but instead yearned to stand by him in equal grounds?" Katze continued.  
"Shut up, Katze!" The rising anger within the mongrel propelled him forward, stamping towards Katze when suddenly Katze's own wrist terminal beeped in attention. Still furious however, Riki paused and back away, sulkily pocketing his hand as Katze draw out the hologram from the device.

Mimea was looking back at the screen worriedly.  
"Katze, I'm not sure if you should be taking note of this but the Midas police is currently in the central square," Mimea reported urgently.

Midas's Police? In Ceres? Katze glanced at Riki, remembering how the only time that the authorities actually came to Midas is on a manhunt for Kirie. Mimea moved away and allow the camera to focus on the distance where a fight seemed to be going on.

The uniforms of the police were visible on screen, three of them around the square, one was locking a man in his arms and two more others were visibly kicking another on the ground. Riki's eyes widen when he saw the face of the victims.

"Cid! Norris!" He called, his jaws clenching. Immediately turning away from the screen, the mongrel ran in the direction of the square.  
Shocked, Katze shut off his screen and gave chase. Clearly he wasn't as much of an athlete compared to Riki who had all his life to train in Ceres. It was not long when he lost sight of Riki, turning into one of the numerous corners of the streets.

Katze could only cursed under his breath. He could not let Riki go into the square and show himself to every eyes, especially with the Midas Police there. Cid and Norris seems to be the name of Riki's friends back in his Bison days, and it was clear to Katze that they were there in order to lure Riki out. That means that Raoul was very much aware that Riki is alive. He needed to stop Riki, quick.

To Riki, his blood was pumping with the excitement and the panic that had gripped him when he noticed the face in Katze's hologram. Why was Cid and Norris getting tormented by the Midas police? Every ounce of strength within him propelled him forward. He remembered the cruelty of the Midas Police. No, pain from being kicked and beaten was nothing compared to what they do if they drag you off to the station.

There's no way he would allow that to happen to Cid and Norris, not after their own experience years ago.

The square wasn't quite far off. To Riki who had grew up in the slums and knew every shortcut that would lead him there as fast as possible, it was only mere minutes when he finally found himself in the square, the afternoon sun glaring to his eyes.

Norris was on the ground and the two police above him was hitting him with their baton, seemingly enjoying themselves as a struggling Cid was held back by the other police.  
A loud cry of anger as Riki propelled forward, his fist raised. The next thing he heard was a loud crack and the feel of flesh on his fist. Everything seem to slow down. The blood rushed through him as Riki once again taste the strength that had once cruised through him as he led Bison to the top of Ceres.

The police paused and suddenly got back to his senses, running towards Riki with his baton raised. Riki raised his feet, successfully grounding the latter. "Norris!" He shouted and ran towards the heap on the floor. Cid seem to manage to regain his senses and elbowed the police that held him, managing to jerk out his grip. Using his knee right into the police's face, the latter was soon on the ground with a broken nose.

"R-Riki?!" There was astonishment in Cid's voice. His face was battered and bruises was blooming through but he was far better off than Norris who sat limply in Riki's arms.  
However, there was no time for greetings. Norris was in really bad shape. Cid seemed to consider his options for a moment, still speechless at his ex-leader right in front of him.  
"What are you doing here?!" He shouted "Those police were after you! Why do you think we were attacked?!"

Suddenly, Riki seemed to remember the position he was in. He looked around and saw the numerous people that had gathered around the square. There was obviously some familiar faces around and he could hear the whispers that started to spread like wildfire among them.

"That's Riki of Bison—"  
"I thought he was dead?"  
"His back!"

Riki got up, on high alert. In the heat of the moment he had totally forgot that he had a price over his head. What was he hiding all this time for if he was going to carelessly run out in plain sight for all to see?

There was a loud noise from one corner as the crowd parted. A cold feeling rose to Riki's throat when he saw that more men spotting the Midas Police's uniform surrounding them. He turned away and scanned the crowd, noticing Katze and Mimea in one corner, hidden away. Anxiously trying to find a way to do something.

Cid seemed to whisper the warning.  
"Run, you fool!"  
But Riki was froze to the spot. Confusion, foolishness and fear clamped his feet down as one of the police came at him.  
"You are coming with us," He said.

The fist that propelled forward was out of Riki's control as he took down the police. At the same moment, more would rush forward and there were screams all over the square as bystanders started running away as so to not get caught in the chaos, allowing more space for the police to move.  
Riki fought, taking down one police after another but there was at least half a dozen there and with the help of an electric prod, the next thing Riki knew was the sharp pain in his chest as he sank into darkness.


	10. Chapter 9

Orphe Zavi stride into his headquarters where security drones and his workers patrolled about. Occasionally he could hear the buzzing of the terminals and numerous machines that scattered around the area. The soft humming of the machines hang in the air and the workers and officers would lower their eyes in respect as the blondy entered the building.  
Much like Raoul who owned a bio-science facility, the security center was Orphe's place of dominance. The workers here are elites sorted by their hair colors who would work wordlessly for him, minding the camera system, the security or the drones that patrolled Midas. Security complains would reach here first before the important ones was sorted and delivered to Orphe. Criminal of higher ranks would be brought in here, though the cases were rare. They deal with mostly elites or the Midas's citizens that dared to trample over the rules that Jupiter had set, mostly in the places they work or a violation of the pet act and the security of Eos, Tanagura and Jupiter's tower.  
And of course, mongrels that dared stay out of their place in Ceres and dared to walk in the pride lands of Midas, although those would be brought to the Midas's station instead, deeming a waste of time for the centre.

But this time, it was different. This particular mongrel should be thankful to even deserve a place in one of the center's prisons. Unlike Midas Station, the center's prison offered basic facilities that would treat the prisoners with care, even if they were the worst criminals.  
This wasn't the first time that Riki found himself here though. The last time as Orphe recalled was when Iason Mink's furniture had managed to hack through the system and allow that filthy pet to escape. Daryl, was it? Riki had been caught and held in the center before adequate decisions were made so that Iason Mink could reclaim his precious treasure.  
And that was also the events from what Orphe recalled that had led to Iason disposing his pet, only to have it back in no time, claiming that he had merely just loosen the leash of his beloved possession.

To Orphe, it was a clear violation of the pet act, yet Iason would bent the rules to his whims, claiming that the mongrel was not subjected to the laws that was made for pets that are bred in controlled circumstances. He would even go as far as to approach Ophe to allow his pet's return, and who is Orphe to deny the head of the syndicate's whims?

Yet now, once again, that very same pet he had once believed dead was yet again, locked up in one of his cells.  
The status of Riki on the monitor showed that no injuries were made in his capture, except for the electric prod that had sent the mongrel into a coma. There were numerous faded scars on his body though, and Orphe wondered if it was related to the events of Dana Bahn.

He had just left the Medical center after his visit with Gideon's pet when his wrist terminal alerted him of Riki's capture. He had ordered them to seek out the mongrel's whereabouts through Riki's background channels but had not expected that it would produce such result.

He sent a message to Raoul, notifying the other blondy of the capture before ordering his workers to inform him as soon as the ex-pet is awake. For now, Orphe had no idea what to do with the mongrel, for his hatred for the pet did not run as deep as Raoul's vengeful pride, from what he witnessed through his colleague's actions.

* * *

The face was calm, but the glare that pierced at Katze felt terrible. Iason Mink's calm façade did not help in settling the ex-furniture's nerve when he shakily reported what had happened in the past hour at Ceres square.

"You fool," Iason said, his voice was calm but there were clearly anger in his eyes "I told you to monitor him not constantly let him get dragged around,"  
Katze could feel the tremble that had rose from within him but try as hard as he could to suppress it "I apologize, master, I was too late to stop him,"

Iason lean back against his seat, thinking. What would the police want with a mere mongrel from Ceres? Katze had been keeping close tabs on him and Iason had made sure that the boy would stay within his limits. There would be no reason to mobilize the police around Ceres unless need be. Those were normally kept away from the dirt and vile air of Ceres, not even bothering to chase those dogs that had timidly ran back to their base with their tails between the legs.

So why was the police in the square? Maybe it was those two that Katze had mentioned? The 'friends' that Riki saw getting abused by the police? Had they violated an act that Iason not know about? But even so it would be the police from the Midas station that would be there to deal with them, not the ones from the security centre from what Katze had described.  
It was strange, it was extraordinary. Is there something about the mongrel that Iason did not know about? Was it the terrorist attack? The bombing? Of course Iason knew full well what the mongrel was up to and there were no way he was involved in it, seeing how Katze had kept him so busy the past few weeks.

Even through the terminal, Katze could taste the silence in the air as Iason deduce an answer to the events. He contemplate about letting the blondy know what had really happened, even through the sting of Raoul's warning was cutting into his being. He had held back all this time in fear that for the threat that Raoul had threw at him and in confidence that Iason Mink would not believe him.

"Master," He started, for the first time, feeling the burden that he carried called life hanging on his shoulder, the fear that Raoul had initiated in him started to trigger. Through the years, he had watch Iason Mink's downfall, grieved for the death of his master only to see him revived again, bear through the pain of keeping quiet with Raoul's threat hanging by his throat like a piercing dagger and watch Riki suffered in silence, the pain of being Iason Mink's prized possession.  
He had grown tired in playing the pawn of the game, shared by both Iason Mink and Raoul Am, neither aware of this. He had kept quiet so as to see the game unfold with interest but there was no longer anymore need to. It was time for the blondy to know the truth, even if death lingered in his borders, or even at the cost of his own suffering. Clearly if Raoul got wind of this, it would be the end of him. Yet no longer will he play in this tiring game of circles. If this was his own downfall, then may it be so. He cursed himself, wondering if it was better if he had informed his master in the first place when the blondy once again discovered the mongrel's existence. But that was already in the past. Right now, there was only those that lies ahead that is important.

"It is not my place to inform you of this, but I pray that you may listen and consider if what I said, is true."

* * *

There was no possible way to describe what Guy was feeling when he found himself in front of a building that was worn down by weather and time. The windows were broken in some areas and huge cracks spread along the walls that was caked with mud and dirt. There was trash everywhere, but this place was once to Guy considered cozy, homely, even though the circumstances.  
This was once, where Guy would hang out with the others. Bison's hideout.

He recalled back the conversation that he had with Katze. Riki had not returned after their petty squabble and he had venture out to search for the mongrel when he noticed the chaos at the square. At a safe distance, he could not make up of what was happening except that when the crowd dispersed, he could hear faint whispers of Riki's comeback. He felt the fear grasping his heart as he guessed what had happened. Had the foolish man walk right into everyone's presence, enough to let them know that he was alive?

Desperate for answers, he could only seek out the person that he did not want to meet. Katze answered the call on the first ring, annoyance and irritation clearly written all over the redhead's face.  
"This better be quick," Was his greeting.

It was then that Guy found out that Riki had been dragged away by the police after rushing out to fight for the lives of Norris and Cid, the members of Bison that they had once hung out with. The news was shocking but Riki's actions did not surprise Guy, yet he felt fear rising within and once again, he tasted the guilt that he had caused.  
If he did not provoke Riki's anger in his own jealousy, he wouldn't have left the house. It was once again, his fault.

"Y-you're lying," The words were a trembled sort of whisper; involuntary, spoken out of disbelief.  
"If you want to believe it so, then it is entirely up to you," Came Katze's piercing voice as he retrieved the cigarette bud from between his lips, puffing out a stream of smoke "But think of this, _Ray_, as you wallow in your self-pity, if there is any need for me to spit out lies that is not needed and non-beneficial to me." He spat "If there were true guilt within you, then there would be the need to repent, and if you think the competition is not over, then you should get off your ass and start moving,"

So there he was, standing idly as he took in the view of the building that he had once loved. His feet felt as heavy as lead. From Katze's words, he learnt that Bison still hangs out here, and Norris would probably be in a bad condition. He had not return after the tragedy at Dana Bahn, not having the courage to tell his old friends that their leader was no more, and he was the reason that it happened. He had left them, gave himself a new identity and disappeared from their life.  
Yet now, here he stand once again, the only place he could go, with Riki still clearly alive and held back by the fangs of Midas, this was the only place he could turn to for help.

The hesitation felt dreadful and the walk he had to take until he could find himself at the entrance of the building felt terribly long. The entrance was covered by a shredded piece of canvas nailed to the frame in order to keep the weather out. Pushing that aside, he could feel the familiar scent of the damp and musty room filled his nostrils.

Nothing had changed since he left. A heap of rubbish, rubbles and stones were piled high at the far corner, and Guy could almost see the image of Riki who would once sit there on top, his head held high and telling them about how he would leave this gutter and find a better life out there. The tiny coffee table was dirty as usual and a few poker cards were scattered about the flat surface. A few bottles of stout sat empty on the table, reminding Guy of the days they would use to drink a play here. A game of Gigolo probably? Though Guy had loathed the idea of the love game. They would tease each other, sharing their own stories together. Careful not to drown in nostalgia, Guy carried himself forward, suddenly noticing the slumped heap of mess on the old battered couch.

"Norris!" He called when he recognize the face of the occupant. He approached the couch and saw that Norris was unconscious. His face was bruised and there were gashes and cuts all over his body, footprints on his white shirt which was torn in many places and clearly, he could have broken a bone or two.

"Who are you?!" A voice called from behind, emerging from the entrance. Guy turned to look, recognizing Cid who stared back at him with caution. It took a second for Guy to remember that they would not recognize him with his face changed.

"I am Ray…." He started, maintaining a hoarse voice, thinking what to say next. He wasn't sure if he would want them to know who he really is at the moment. His eyes trailed to the first aid kit in Cid's hand.  
"Shouldn't you….be tending to him first?" Guy said, jerking his jaw at Norris. Cid seem to look at him with suspicions, before moving to tend to Norris's wounds. He work quietly, carefully bandaging where need be, while Norris only gave silent moans of pain, showing no signs however to waking up.

Cid would occasionally throw anxious glance at Guy who just stood there with his hands in his pockets. When he was about to ask what the stranger was doing in their base, when the canvas flapped open and a youngster walk in excitedly, with two more others striding in behind him. One still had freckles on his face, and his eyes clearly told Guy that he was new in the neighborhood, freshly graduated from Guardian and is still trying to cope with living outside the care of the nurses.

The first youngster however, was loud and did seem to disperse the heavy silence moments ago with ease. His voice was shrill and demanding.  
"That's another one down!" He shouted as the third brat deposited a sling bag onto the ground as he sank into the arm chair. "So where's next?" He look a year older than the others, and there were clear firm lines of muscles under his skin. Freckles grinned in reply "If we could reach as far as Eos tower wouldn't that be fun?"  
"Apatia, Mistral Park….." He paused, grinning from ear to ear "Eos tower—hmmmm…"

Cid cleared his throat, making the brats paused. They shifted their glace to where Cid directed them to with a slight gesture, finally noticing the stranger who had overheard everything.  
Guy studied them through watchful eyes, confused by what he had heard and by why were there brats lingering around their base, as if the lesson that Kirie had given them wasn't adequate enough about them taking in freshly graduated pets. Freckled mentioned about Apatia though. Had this got anything to do with the bombing?

As if in answer, another person entered the room, pushing the canvas out of his way. Guy immediately recognize the face that he saw. Luke. He walk over to the youngster with the shrill voice, and the brat embraced him, entwining their lips as their tongues fought for dominance.

It was only when Cid slammed the first aid kit on the shelf did they stop, Luke finally noticing the uninvited guest and Norris's condition.

"Who is that?" He asked "What's with him?" pointing his attention to Guy and then to Norris.  
"Probably involved in fights again?" The one in Luke's arms chided.

"Shut your trap, Carlos," Cid snapped, staring at the brat who pulled a face at him. Cid however glared at Luke instead, who suddenly looked serious, noticing the gash on Cid's lips and the numerous bruises spread across his flesh.  
"What happened?" Luke demanded, his face suddenly serious. The last time they had suffered wounds as such was not when they were involved in Ceres's everyday squabbles. Fist to fist communication would not turn Norris to a useless heap on the couch. No. It was when the police of Midas had 'graced' them with their presence in order to search for the asshole Kirie.

"Luke," Cid muttered "Riki…he's back,"  
"I saw him, he came running in to save me and Norris when we were suddenly subjected to interrogation by the police,"

Luke's face visibly changed. At the corner, Guy could only watch the events unfold.

* * *

Orphe was once again in his headquarters. He stared at the two images on his screen, the image of a graffiti skull, painted over both the walls and pavement of where the explosion had took place. Clearly, the attackers left it there to indicate that they were behind both of the incidents and there would only be a few reasons that would push them into doing so, one of which is that they are claiming the fame of their actions, or they are just foolishly and plainly stupid.

The picture of a skull could relate to anything but with his hundreds of men working under him, Orphe Zavi was confident that it was easy to find the culprit out. The first graffiti was disregarded as vandalism, although filed as evidence and ignored because of the lack of information but now, with the second one clearly donning on the very same skull, the clues was very obvious. Whoever who did this was probably thirsting for the fame.

_The first is to be proud of what one could achieve,  
but the second would be pure vain,  
ignorant of the poison that over confidence would bring. _

Suddenly, Iason Mink entered the room without warning, and Orphe could sense the urge in the air as the blondy approached his desk.  
"Release Riki," He demanded.

Caught up in the investigation, Orphe had accidentally pushed the mongrel to the back of his mind. Never mind Dana Bahn, the events of the present comes first, and now, close to catching the culprits involved in the explosions of both Apatia and Mistral Park, he was suddenly jerked away from his work and reminded about the mongrel pet.  
Although he could not really hide the surprise on Iason's tone when he mentioned the mongrel's name, nor even as to why the blondy would hurry here, when Orphe had assumed that Iason no longer hold any memories of Riki.

"I cannot do so," Orphe started calmly "He had violated some acts—"  
"That is unclear off," Iason cut him off "You merely dragged him here after being convinced by none other than my trusty 'friend' that Riki is somehow involved in this and so there will be no reason for him to be held here as I can provide alibis that would prove of Riki's innocence towards the explosions in Apatia and Mistral Park."  
"Release. Him. Now."

Orphe stared back at the other blondy, shock. Clearly what he had believed all this time had been a mistake, with Iason himself proving that he had been deeply involve with the mongrel pet all this time after all.

At the same time, the door suddenly slid open and Raoul step in, pausing when he noticed Iason in the room. If he was surprised by it, his blondy pride would clearly not even allow that glimpse of emotions through.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Claiming back what once was originally mine," Was Iason Mink's cold reply.


	11. Chapter 10

Had he not heard it from Katze's own words and see how plausible that the gaps of his memories were all connected to that mongrel from the slums, Iason Mink would not even considered it a possibility and would quickly wave the topic away as if it was a very bad joke, told by an untrained entertainer.  
Iason Mink have realized the pull he had towards Riki, that wild untameable beast from the depth of Ceres but he had never expected him to be actually connected to his memories until Katze finally let it out of the bag. He had once thought him interesting to watch and observe, a toy he would soon pick up just for the sake of it. Now, he understand why.

The relationship he had with Riki was deeper. It was deeper than that off the master and pet that Katze mentioned.  
It took him awhile to process all this though, even with his enhanced brain.  
Even now, as he stood before both Raoul Am and Orphe Zavi, he still finds it hard to believe Riki was the key to his past.

Standing here in Orphe's headquarters, he was determined to get the truth out of both Riki and the blondies.  
But Raoul did not seem very please about that.

"What are you talking about?!" Raoul Am spat, tucking away a loose blonde curl "That boy has nothing to do with you-"  
Iason frowned. A name haven't been mentioned since Raoul entered the room, so why was he so confident that they were talking about the mongrel in Orphe's cell?  
Iason knew the answer very well. He turned and rebuked the blondy, his so called friend.  
"Do not lie, Raoul Am," Iason started "I know what you are capable of as someone who had the pleasure to walk alongside you all these years as someone whom I trust. But alas, had you not trample on the mere respect I had for you, it would not have severe the relationship we had up till now,"  
Iason walk forward, his eyes a fixed glared at the other blondy "I did mentioned once that I would find the answers to this riddle. Now that I did, would I have the honour of receiving the real truth from you, my 'dear friend'?" At this he turned to Orphe  
"That boy from the slums is still my property, and I am sure you are aware of what happens to those who lay their hands on what belongs to me,"

Orphe gulped but remained firm. As Raoul settled into silence, Orphe seemed to find his voice back. He couldn't catch much on what was going on between Raoul and Iason but he knew that it is anything but good. Riki, however was a prisoner that he had put effort in his capture, and he still of course intend to do what he started out from, the answers to Dana-Bahn.  
However, even confronting Iason about that case did not seem to bear any fruits, as the head of the syndicate merely stare back at him with a blank face, for he himself did not know what had happened in Dana-Bahn.

Raoul cleared his throat, clearly disliking the fact that he was being ignored.  
"That mongrel trash must be executed,"  
"I would like to see you try," Iason Mink interrupted, obviously unamused. He had finally found an answer to his questions, and he did not intend to let the chance slipped past his grasp due to Raoul's selfish hatred. Even he himself finds it hard to swallow what little information he had got from Katze. Little, but important.

Finally, Orphe sighed, calming the two who seemed keen to bring down the other in their own possible methods. "What do you propose we do then?" Orphe asked. He brought up a screen to show Riki's cell, the boy had been awake an hour ago and had been prancing franticly in the cell, obviously startled and unsure of what would become of him.  
Orphe himself was tired of this squabbling over a mere mongrel trash. He had other issues to tend to, namely to catch the perpetrator behind the Apatia and Mistral Park's bombing, before it claimed more lives.

Iason thought about it for a moment as he stared at the hologram. The situation looks plainly familiar, as if it had occurred before.  
"Let me have custody of him for a week." He suggested "I would acquire the information you seek, if he proofs to be useless, then you can very well have your way with him,"  
"That is preposterous!" Raoul immediately shouted "That boy must be executed immediately!" But instead, Orphe silenced him with a raised palm. "Why do I need to trust you in getting information out of a prisoner when I have plenty who could do the same?"

The edge of Iason Mink's lips seems to twitch into a grin, as he had seen how the outcome of the conversation would be. Despite Raoul's fuming, the odds were pretty much in his favour.  
"Who knows?" He started "My own methods to tame might be far better than your men,"

* * *

If the walls could break as easily as Katze's doors, Riki would have spent all his energy in kicking it open, but no. He had been held here a few times before and experience clearly told him that any attempt to escape from this prison cell is futile.

So all Riki could do was prance around the room, obviously sulking again, trying to think of a way out. The cell would be surrounded by dozens of security camera, droids, policemen and many more. He realized the dangerous position he was in currently, a wanted man, no, a pet, who had manage to pull down a blondy from his highest seat and came back from the dead as if nothing had ever happened despite the tragedy that surrounded him like heavy chains, dragging everyone in around him.  
Katze had warned him that Raoul would not hesitate to terminate him. Before this, Riki would be happy to welcome death, but had not allow it to happen due to his own ego, but right now, no, he had other things on his mind.

He knew that what he had done was stupid, unthinkable, a waste of efforts that he and Katze had put up so far. Carelessly and foolishly, he had run out into the unthinkable and revealed himself. But right now, instead of worrying about his own condition, Riki was more worried about what had happened to Cid and Norris.  
Had they manage to leave? They weren't caught by the police were they? How is Norris? These things seem to annoy him on so badly that when Riki heard the sounds of footsteps approaching his cell, he got ready to pounce, seeing his chance to escape when the door slid open.

The blood that gushed through his veins gave him power and the adrenaline pushed him forward. The guard had unlocked the door and Riki found himself squeezing through the opening. He needed to be quick or he would be caught. Sure, there would be more outside but he could worry about them later. He needed to get out of this cell. Quick.

Suddenly, someone ceased him by his wrist, pinning it against his back, a grip so strong it made the mongrel scream. He was pushed to the wall and he felt his face grazed against the cold metal, as he struggled to get out of the man's grip.  
His back was against his attacker, so that he could not even see who the grip belongs to. Yet, a feeling of familiarity ceased him when he remembered a certain someone who had grip as strong as this. Through the corners of his eyes he caught sight of long, blonde straight hair and a silver white overall.  
His heart was beating faster than before and he could feel his legs going limp. Despite everything, he could not fight the fear that came crashing down as he remembered the years of training that he had been subjected to.  
Oh, how he was sucked dry to the very last bit, yelling in agony, in pain, yet _HE_ will never be satisfied. _His_ demanding voice would order for more, would draw out whatever that was left of Riki hammering _his_ orders into his very marrow.  
_You are my pet._

"I suggest you to not do anything foolish, lest you lose what little precious left of you..." Came the exact same voice, a fluid baritone that speaks of warning and danger. The hair on Riki's back stood up as he felt the man's breath against the nape of his neck; chills ran down his spine in a haywire. Even standing felt like a chore now, an effort to even keep upright. When he finally shook himself loose of the man's grip, he turned and almost topple over at the sight of those deep azure eyes, the golden hair and—Iason Mink.

For what seemed hours, Riki just stood there, trying to understand if that blondy in front of him really is Iason, and not some cruel tricks that his eyes were playing on him. His mouth opened and shut, but no words came out.

It wasn't after he found back his ground, and suddenly felt the surge of blood boiling in him. His fist shot up, aiming squarely for Iason's cheek but instead it got caught in the blondy's bare hands, his fingers wrapping around as if ready to crush his bones.

"As I said, I suggest you to stop doing anything foolish," Was all Iason said.

Riki starred in disbelief. Iason had not shown any hint of recognition in his eyes. To the blondy, Riki was yet another curious subject. Iason still had not remembered.  
"You bastard!" The mongrel grinded his teeth angrily, this time, his knees shooting upwards, but of course, the blondy avoided it, halting the attack. "How dare you forget it all, how dare you!" Riki screamed. But instead, Iason only looked back with cold, hard eyes, not even bothering to answer. He grabbed Riki by his hair and prodded him forward roughly.  
"I am the master here," Iason suddenly said "if you do not listen then I see no reason not to hand you over to Raoul,"

Riki froze, glancing at Iason. Had he always been this cold…?  
No. It felt like those times…those excruciating moments before Iason had 'sampled' him. Subjected to torture and Iason's icy cold glare, he could feel it again right now, a tingle in his phantom limb, pain, like the ring that had tortured something that was no longer there. He walked forward, dragging his feet, feeling Iason's icy cold stare on his back. Iason had been kinder after he forced Riki to return from Ceres before, so much kinder that Riki had ignored how Iason was once very, very cruel, and now, having to taste it again, he could feel the bile rising to his throat.

When the two finally reach the exit, Riki could see the nervous glances that the security men had lingering on him, a mongrel walking alongside a blondy of such high status and out of prison, too. It was a common thing that Riki had dealt with before, but now, having to feel it again was simply much too alien to him. He stole a glance at Iason, whose presence seem to tower over him as usual, but now, he saw there was a glimmer of interest in his eyes, as if a boy who had won a toy as a prize, victorious.

As they emerged from the exit, Riki was almost blinded by the strong light of the day. In a distance was Iason's car, there for the blondy's convenience. And there, holding the door open was Katze. The ex-furniture did not show him a hint of emotion as Riki was ordered into the car by Iason. There was silence between them as neither would say anything and Riki could only sit back, wondering what was in store for him.

* * *

_What have you done?!_

Jupiter was restless. Of course the super computer would have news of Riki's capture and the events that happened after it. The chamber had always been cold, but today, Raoul could feel the heat of Jupiter's anger as soon as he stepped in her presence.

_This will ruin everything!_

"I do not think that my apologies would be sufficient in this matter," Raoul started, bowing his head low, somehow feeling ashamed of his incapability "I have tried to stop Iason, but you of all people should be aware of what he is capable of,"

_That mongrel should've been terminated!_

Raoul paused. There was nothing he could say about this. Had he realized it earlier, this issue would not be such a thorn in his skin by now. How had Iason manage to know about Riki's relation to his disappeared memories?  
Was it Katze? Oh, why had he even trusted that being that wasn't even a man to begin with?  
He admits that Iason was not complete, imperfections would soon destroy what was left of Iason. That blondy however, seemed to be the most human among them all, something that cannot be allowed.  
"We should not have let him out before, not until I perfected him," Was all he said in a small voice. Not out of fear, but deep in thoughts.

_Midas cannot wait so long for you to correct what you are incapable of._

"Had you not realize he is turning human?! To love Riki? What kind of unspeakable behavior is that?!" Raoul suddenly raised his voice, regretting it only later when Jupiter's materialized hologram glared back at him.  
"There….is not much we could do at this stage, except to completely shut Iason Mink down again," He suggested "If we would want to stop his fanatic over that mongrel trash—"  
"As long as he is here, he would not allow me to even touch even a strand of hair on that pest,"

_NO!_

Jupiter's booming reply was enough to throw Raoul out of his thoughts. No? With that the only choice they had?

…_..Observe first, Raoul. As I said, I do not wish to lose any of my children again._

"But—" His protest was cut short when Jupiter faded away, letting the darkness to once more enveloped the room again, it's tendrils seemed to reach out for Raoul. For once, he felt like the whole world was against him. His hatred for Riki boiled even deeper, remembering what was left of the crumbling relationship he had once shared with a dear friend and now, Jupiter seemed content to not side with him.

* * *

"Riki...?" The surprise on Luke's face was genuine. The brats around him looked confused though. Guy wouldn't blame them; Riki's name as the strongest in the slums had long sank into time even since the first time he had disappeared from the slums. Luke seemed to find the news incomprehensible though, his expressions changing as he tried to process the news. Finally, he threw his head back and laughed.

"Riki, back in the slums?" Luke chuckled "For all we know that man might be licking the cock of some blondy enjoying life to the fullest as we withered away here!"  
"Luke, please!" The issue had been a taboo for them ever since they found out about what really happened in the years that their most respected leader had disappeared. As if that wasn't enough, even Guy, the next in command had dissipated into thin air, chasing after a mad love that would not be returned.

Between the three of them, Luke took the news in the worst way possible, crumbling his relationship with what remained of Bison, disappearing for weeks only to return again with those brats around him, claiming that they would once again bring them to the top.

Norris and Cid doubted this though. Norris had Max, the old man that he called his pairing partner but Cid was sure of what he wanted, and rising to the top again without Riki is not in his list. Luke was drunk with his wanting to feel like the times when they conquer the slums again, and using Carlos as Riki's replacement, he sees his chance to rise. But no, Cid knew how this would end up in a disaster too, much like Kirie.

He had held his tongue for sometime in respect for what little peace that remained among them but now, with Riki back, there is need for Luke to return back to reality, no matter how hard it seemed.

To Guy however, what Luke said seemed to hit a sore spot.  
"So what?" Luke started instead "So what if he is back? He would surely disappeared into the arms of that blondy again in a few months, or year, hadn't we have enough of his nonsense? Him and Guy too, disappearing as if they had never exist, all for the sake of leaving the slums, not even had they remembered the dirt that once clung to their skin, the so called companions that were there for them but never were they here for us thanks to their own selfish desires!"

"Luke-"  
"Enough, Riki is no more! He is better off dead for all I know!" Luke spat, and stampeded out of the base, Carlos and the others following him frantically.

Cid was quiet and Guy simply stared at him, not knowing what he would say now. Cid instead sank into a nearby chair with a sigh. "It's no use hiding who you are you know," He suddenly said, turning towards Guy "Ray...? No, it's so obvious it's you, Guy,"

Guy was startled, but not entirely surprised. Casually, he sat back unto the opposite chair. "How did you know?"  
Cid chuckled. "One would change their appearance but not their soul," Cid explained "it took awhile but I recognize the fire in your eyes, of course," Beside them, Norris moaned in his sleep as he shifted to a more comfortable position. "Max is going to kill me,"

Guy glanced at Norris for a moment, before turning back to Cid, asking about those brats around Luke.  
"The eldest with the muscles is Matthew, but they called him Matt, freckle is Sirya and the leader called himself Carlos," Cid explained, frowning "Luke found them wandering around in a back alley, obviously they had just came out of guardian not longer than a year,"

"...they mentioned about Apatia?"  
At this, Cid's face turned dark as he contemplated if he should let Guy in on the news.  
"Had you not seen how those bombing in Apatia and Mistral Park occurred, how there's graffiti of a skull in the area?"

Guy nodded.  
"Ever since you left, there's this group, really large one begun surfacing. Apparently called themselves the Skullz. They would wreck havoc around Ceres, leaving graffiti or real skull of people they had murdered in places where they destroyed or hang out, as if proudly claiming their territory."

Guy frowned. Murder was of course an everyday occurrence in the slums. Here, you are required to watch your own back. But to go as far as that...

Cid wasn't finish yet. "They recruit thos freshly graduated from guardian, uncontaminated and they influenced those brats with their own ideals. That is why it was so notorious. Those three, Carlos, Matt and Sirya are the ones that pulled Luke in."

"They were involved in the bombing in Midas?" Guy already knew the answer to this and was not even surprise when Cid nodded.  
"Skullz apparently wanted to prove of their strength, even to the point of challenging Midas itself,"

Guy sat in silence. Cid paused a moment before continuing.  
"That's why...that is why I think that Riki was carelessly caught in all this, you know...like Kirie,"  
"There is a possibility," Guy agreed "But right now, we should get Luke out first, anyone stupid enough to leave their signature in the crime scene are just inviting trouble right up to their doorstep,"

His every being was screaming for him to burst through Midas's security to bring Riki back again but he knew how futile that would seem. Guy did not want to cause any more trouble to Riki. He decided that saving Luke first would be the best course of action...for now.

* * *

_**So sorry with the delay. I have been busy with many things lately and could only find time to write now. Forgive me |D... Once again, thank you so much for the reviews, you guys have no idea how happy I was every time I see a new one posted 3 3 ;w; Please continue to give your reviews, ideas and suggestions, it is very, very, very much appreciated \ ; w ; /**_


	12. Chapter 11

Vaine marched out of the saloon with a sigh. The day was boring, as usual, and the pets in there were rambling on nonsense about how perfectly high the status their masters hold. The saloon was a place of entertainment for pets like Vaine, who belonged to owners of high status. They spent their days there, entertaining themselves while their masters were away for work. had come here for some entertainment, sadly finding none.  
Vaine was never one for socializing, finding it boring to join the conversations of the others. They only after all talked about sex, gossips and baseless rumors. Once, he even got into trouble for bickering with another pet that claimed that his master, Iason Mink had broken pet laws before. Vaine had snapped into anger and insulted the other pet, resulting to a catfight, only to have the furniture intervene and apologizing to each other.  
If Iason had known about this incident, he had shown no signs of it, not even caring about Vaine.

However, being the of a person of such high rank and status, known across Tanagura, not only were the other pet expressive of their jealousy towards Vaine, ironically enough, they seem to worship the ground that he walked on, the pet belonging to the head of the syndicate and trying hard to get on his good side, with a few exception here and there. And it doesn't help that he was a rare pet from academy, his different eye colour proving to be a major magnet towards the others. The attention bored him and left him tired. The afternoon had barely past when he decided to call it quit in the salon and return home, even if his master is absent.

Vaine was proud of his status of course. He would boast about it to hurt the pride of others, just so they would shut up whenever he wanted them to. Although silently, the pure-bred academy pet wished that his master would pay more attention to him.  
He had only seen his masters a few times, notably when he first woke up as his pet, a collar around his neck and a pet ring on his ears. He was still in a trance state, unable to speak, just simply staring at the magnificence of his blondy master. The next was when he entered his room weeks later, only to leave after a few moments.  
Vaine would of course catch glimpses of him from time to time, but Iason Mink is either always absent from home due to work or busy with his home terminal. His absence made the penthouse felt lonely, even with David bustling around.

Vaine sighed again. Is this really the fate of a pet? How long more would Iason keep him? He shivered at the thought of being thrown away. Neglected.  
He was never informed about what happens to a pet whose masters were bored of, but the unknown scared him even more. If only he was given the chance to make Iason notice him….

He had of course, attended a soiree for his coming out party. Iason had brought him there and left him with the other pets, joining the other blondies. Vaine was wrong to think that attention would be paid to him by his own master on his coming out party but Iason merely showed no interest, fiddling with the wine cup between his fingers, only occasionally replying once in awhile.  
It was obvious his master wanted the party to be finished quick. He wasn't even trying to take part with the other blondies. No, his master just sat alone during the soiree, uninterested. Bored. The memory felt like a thorn within Vaine. His own master had ignored him. His reminiscence was cut short when he noticed his furniture.

David stood at the corner, waiting for him as he exited the saloon. After being with the furniture for some time, Vaine recognize the urgency in the boy's face. A cocked eyebrow displayed the question that he did not ask.  
"Master Vaine, oh, we have to hurry back!" David replied, seemingly restless "Master Iason is bringing home a guest!"

Vaine frowned. Guest?

* * *

"Nothing has changed…" Riki whispered as he entered the penthouse. Everything looked the same as how it was before Riki had left for Apatia years ago, when Iason had insisted to move him there and to work for Katze.

Iason walked past him, dropping his cape and cloak on a couch, frowning when he noticed that his furniture is not around, must've been accompanying the pet in the saloon then. He had made sent a message to the furniture, informing about Riki's arrival. Iason checked back his wrist terminal, pulling off the sunglasses he had donned on. Riki however, would not take the silence any longer.  
"What are you planning to do with me?" He suddenly asked, unsure of what the blondy might do, now that he no longer hold any memories of their past.

"Finally trying to talk with your mouth, I presume?" Iason replied with his face twisted with sarcasm. This however, hit a nerve on Riki. He was about to spit a retort back at Iason when the blondy cupped the mongrel's face in his fingers, turning it for a look.

"To assume that you are once my pet….if the words weren't from Katze's mouth I would laugh it off as a joke," Iason said, studying the latter. Riki fumed, hitting him aside. "Well, sorry about that then, I wonder who is it that had insisted me to be his pet before! And as I regrettably recalled, you were the one that find me interesting this past few months, even have Katze keeping tabs on me,"  
Iason's eyebrow rose, and a smirk appeared on his face, though he remained as calm and cold as ever. "I see that Katze not only reports about you to me,"  
Riki backed away, his fist clenching. "So? I assume you saved my life from Raoul again then," He cursed silently, turning away "Shit, owing you a favor like this…"

"Favors?" Iason chuckled  
"It was only a whim, and what's more, I took you out of that cell to find something out, don't get ahead of yourself, mongrel."

Riki's glare at Iason was however, menacing in response. He marched towards the blondy in anger. "You really don't remember anything do you? How we first met, nor….nor the torture you submit me into…or Dana Bahn" His fist clenched, holding back the urge to send it towards the blondy's face, which painfully looked blank. Riki threw his hands up in the air "What is the point of bringing me here then? I am old and I can no longer be a pet to satisfy your twisted needs, nor am I even qualify as a man now." He gripped between his legs, feeling the empty space in anger. "And I don't intend to be one either!" Riki added firmly.

The events that had led to all this was his fault. The reason why Guy now had to go on without an arm and a different identity was his fault. The reason Iason Mink no longer remembers was also his. None of this would have happened if he stayed put in the slums. They would've gone through life. Riki would reign as the top of Ceres with Bison and Iason Mink in Tanagura. It was two such different worlds; they should've never even met. Now, it was too late to even regret anymore.

All of a sudden, like a jolt, Riki couldn't resist the shock that shot through him when he felt the blondy's palm resting against the hand that he had on the place that once hold the pet ring. He looked up at Iason, startled. The blondy however had his eyes fixed on him, pushing him against the couch as his hands traveled up, studying the crevices of the body that once belonged to him. Involuntarily, Riki moaned as the blondy snaked into his shirt, pulling it upwards and running his fingers around his nipple, slightly brushing it drawing sighs and moans from his trapped victim. The training he had experience once again resurfacing.

"Iason-what are you-!" Riki shouted, overwhelmed by shock and surprise.  
His hands flew to Iason's, trying to stop the blondy's advance, only to have it pinned down by the other. Riki heaved, even without the pride of a man, he was attacked by the strange sensation that wrapped him up, feeling the heat that burned wherever Iason touched.  
Iason Min's stare felt as cold as ice, as the blondy ran his fingers where he favors, drawing out the sweet sounds from the rebelling mongrel. Even with his missing memory, he seemed to know Riki's spots like the back of his hand, a fact that even surprises him.  
"I can't see why you cannot be a pet, with reactions like this," He finally teased, looking at Riki as if he was really enjoying a new toy.  
Riki cursed, breathless when the blondy finally stopped. To Riki, it felt like their first meeting, where everything begun on that fated day. His pants were unbuckled, and the knowledge that the blondy had actually touched _there _made him even angrier, trying to contain the embarrassment of his lost manhood.

Iason simply smirked, when he suddenly noticed the two rings hanging on the chain around Riki's neck. He frowned for a moment, before reaching out to pull it off him. The chain gave way with ease, much to Riki's protest.

"This ring had my seal on it," He waved it in front of the mongrel, so I will assume it belongs to me."  
Riki sulked "There's no point in having that back when you can no longer use it anymore,"

"We will see about that."  
Iason glanced at the ring before pocketing it, making sure that it will be sent to the jewelry for repairs before the end of the day. There were visible scratches and dirt along the fine details of both ring, and he could guess what he had once used this for, a master and a pet ring. A custom D-ring like this is rare, actually one of a kind. When Iason had heard from Katze the unfortunate events that had led to the removal of this pet ring before Dana Bahn he had felt a silent rage inside, a rage for the one responsible for tempering with his belonging.  
His little experiment on the mongrel however proved what Katze had said, the mongrel reacting strongly to his touch even with his lost manhood. He had owned and trained this person before, knowing every crevice and spots that would draw the best reaction from him. Riki is very interesting indeed.

His memories weren't lost. Raoul had wiped it off him intentionally, just as what Iason had thought; He frowned, considering too that Jupiter might even be behind this scheme.  
Riki however, finally got off the couch, getting a hold of himself.  
"That ring, give me back." He demanded.

"Oh?" Iason suddenly felt amused, seeing how no one had dared to even demand anything of him before. Truly, this mongrel is interesting. "It is of no use with you around your neck. I could even fit you with better jewelries of luxury….although none would fit a mongrel such as you,"  
"Fuck your jewelries, I want that back!" Riki had his palm extended towards the blondy "If you weren't going to remember about me at least those rings will,"

This hit a sore spot in Iason however. It sent a surge of calm anger within him awakening the cold demeanor he had unknowingly let down moments ago, a bruise in his own pride. Had he not try his best to even recall back about this fool from the slums?  
Riki sensed the change of atmosphere and seemed to flinch, although he planted his feet firmly where he stood.  
"If you want me to remember so, then why don't you help me?" Iason snapped, pulling the wrist of the mongrel and pinning him down by the nape of his neck.

Riki felt his lips against Iason's, awakening more memories from the depths of where he had once hidden them away. The kiss was fierce and angry, and Riki instead felt pain more than pleasure. The blondy tasted him, as Riki moaned in protest, trying to push him away, the pain only getting worse as their tongue intertwined, Iason drawing him out.

_No!  
Not like this!_

He felt Iason's fingers behind him again, nudging where it shouldn't belong. He squirmed, wanting to get out of this position, only screaming when he felt it painfully parted.

"No-!" He shoute, pulling away. His body felt hot, but the fingers on his back did not stop.  
"No—not like this! Please-" His arms winded around Iason's neck, remembering what he felt this past few months and the day he decided to die with him, the longing was there…and undeniably, the love that he had tried to forsake but now, no, Iason Mink was not showing love.  
It is a punishment.  
"Why are you always so cruel—" He whispered, almost at the verge of tears.  
"To even deny me death…why would you tell me to live on when it would be better if I could just die…"

This however, sent the blondy to a halt, letting the tensed mongrel to fall limply against him. He frowned. What had he done? The moment he felt the anger overpowering him, he let it took control, only to awake to this, Riki regaining himself and pushing him away weakly, his arms however, not leaving Iason's.

"Live on?"  
Yes. He remembered saying this before. _Live on_.

When? Where?  
Riki…?

A sudden burst of pain blossomed through his temple, sending sparks across his sight. He frowned, trying to suppress the pain but it hurts so badly that he pressed his fingers around his forehead, Riki suddenly alert sbout something being off. A buzz hammered against Iason's ears deafeningly as Iason shut his eyes, not one to ever display emotions. Pictures floated across the darkness behind his closed lids but he could make nothing out, as all of them were blurred and unfocused.  
The pain was alien to Iason, even though he had experienced small episodes of it before. What is happening to him?

"Master!" A soft voice suddenly called across the room as a small boy ran towards the blondy. David had just returned and flew into a panic when he noticed something wrong with his master.  
"Leave me…" Iason finally said when the sore lessen a little  
"Should I fetch the medic, my lord?" David asked, looking worried, but the blondie waved in rejection to the idea. The next thing he wants is to have Raoul tampering with him again. "I'll settle this. Take care of Riki." He said, turning away to his chambers.

"Master-" David bit down on his lips, unsure of what to do. As a furniture, he was also in charge of his master's wellbeing but a blondy is rarely sick…nor are they even vulnerable to pain. He was still worried, but he had no choice but to heed his master's command and not take action. He turned towards the guest.  
"Is…is he alright?" Riki asked, staring at the space where Iason left. One minute he was being the old Iason and the next…  
He was surprised when Iason suddenly stopped his advance, even showing signs of recognizing what Riki had said. Those words that he had uttered in a barely audible voice…the same ones that he had said the day the fire consumed them.

David could only shrug, studying the guest, who surprisingly looked almost like master Vaine. "There shouldn't be anything that could harm a blondy…." He started "I can only assumed it to be overworked…or something else minor,"

Riki's eyes narrowed, worried "I have never seen him like that before…."He whispered.  
David heard him however, confused at what he had said. But Riki quickly changed the subject. "You are the new furniture then," Riki said, frowning. Of course he still remembered the dark secret behind furnitures in Tanagura. This boy was also be victimized by Tanaguara's selfish needs, a boy very much like him and Katze.

David nodded, bowing in greeting.  
"My name is David and I am please to serve you, sir,"  
Riki could not deny the uncomfortable feeling he had as he watch the boy now twisted into a mere furniture. He had hated them in the past, but soon learnt to appreciate when he found the truth behind them.

David glanced to the side, noting someone else who had entered the room. A boy with dark hair like Riki's own, only longer and eyes of uneven color that reminded Riki of Kirie was standing in the doorway. He wore flimsy clothing, the one that Riki once wore as a pet and a leather collar around his neck.

"Master Vaine, this would be master Riki….and this, my lord is Master Iason's pet, master Vaine," David introduced turning from Vaine to Riki.  
The word 'Iason's pet' seemed to crush down on Riki. Iason Mink had a new pet? His eyes widened as he stared at the teen, who seemed to stare back suspiciously. Of course Iason Mink would already have a new pet….but seeing one right in front of him seemed to stab Riki like a dagger.

"Pet….I see…" He said, his voice faltering. Vaine however, marched forward, his hands straight on both side as he approached the mongrel.  
"What is your relationship between master Iason?!" He threw his question right at Riki's face, taking the mongrel by surprise. "You hurt him didn't you?!"

"Master Vaine-!" David tried to interrupt but Vaine only lashed back  
"I would not forgive you if you hurt my master!"

Riki frowned. His image of the pet instantly changed. A sudden irritation suddenly overwhelmed him, adding on the worry he had for Iason. He clocked his tongue. This guy is nothing more but a brat, very much like those freshly graduated know-it-alls from the Guardians back in Ceres.  
"Master this, master that, shut the fuck up, _brat_,"

Vaine however, felt taken aback by the mere insult. Riki however did not intend to stop there.  
"Run along and play with your other pet friends from the saloon and do me a favor by getting out of my sight!" Riki snapped "Pests like you annoy me the most, if you love your master so much, go snuggle up at him under his blanket then!"  
That didn't came out quite right, Riki suddenly noticed, of course not wanting Vaine to be sleeping where he once was….however much he deny that spot.

Vaine grinded his teeth with anger. It was forbidden for a pet to sleep with their master. Furthermore, Iason Mink had not even once had any physical contact with him. Riki's insult hit a very sore spot indeed.

Riki snorted at the teen's inability to retort back. "As if I could even hurt him," He muttered under his breath.

David quickly stepped in again, calming the two down. "Please, masters, I trust that you both are aware that master Iason needs his rest…master Vaine, Riki will be living with us for a week, so please, on master Iason's orders, behave yourself," He was visibly trying hard to handle the situation, and Riki decided to cut him some slack, only to notice what the furniture had just said.

"A week?!" He started, surprised. He didn't know there was a limit to his time here.  
What was Iason planning?  
Why had he even brought him here if it was only for a week?!  
Does Iason intend to hand him over once the time is up?!

Vaine looked smugly back at him, turning on his heels and leaving. Riki however couldn't care less. The question that came in strings overwhelming him in confusion. Why?  
David however cut into his thoughts, offering to show him into the guest room.

…..At least He won't be seeing the place where he was once forced into submission to Iason…He walked silently beside David, not even bothering to let the furniture know how familiar he was already with the interior on Iason Mink's penthouse….

* * *

_**I had never written smut before. Honestly screaming on fb when I was writing this chapter. /hopeless flailing/ I'm so sorry if I might not be up to par but I hope that you enjoyed this anyway. ;w; hurr hurr As usual, reviews please ;w; 3 **_


	13. Chapter 12

Eos tower, the common area shared between many of the elites, namely those who are the heart of Tanagura's system and direct command under Jupiter.  
Iason Mink walked in a hurry, wanting to return back to his penthouse after a compulsory meeting with the other blondies. He would have remained absent, if he was allowed, but being the head of the syndicate, such actions would not be tolerated.

But alas, as he hurried out of the area, he was stopped by Aisha Rozen and Gideon Lagat, two whom he wished not to face at the moment.  
Aisha brimmed with amusement; his sneaky eyes only seem to make Iason more impatient. "So I heard you own a new pet, Iason? Wasn't one enough?"

Iason's eyes narrowed. How fast had the news traveled? Riki was just bailed out of cell only a day ago.  
Gideon chuckled, tucking his arms behind himself. "Of course, one pet would never be enough for a blondy of such status like you, right? And to even afford two similarly looking pets…"  
Iason had not brought Riki even a step out of his penthouse so, there would be no reason for Gideon to know how Riki looked, unless he did in fact, seen him before, in a time when Iason do not remember. Iason narrowed his eyes at this, suspicious when suddenly noting Raoul Am at the far back, approaching the trio. Beside him was Orphe Zavi, his gaze set on the two mischiefs blocking Iason's path.

"Gideon, Aisha, have it not been briefed that the issues handled by you both in the meeting was urgent?" Orphe frowned. He knew what Aisha and Gideon was capable of…and keeping their mouth shut was not one of it.  
"Oh hush now Orphe, be assured we will get it done, meanwhile, do you not have those terrorist to look in to?" Gideon smiled "It is just like you, all work and no play"  
"There is a time for everything," Orphe replied.  
Iason however was impatient "If such is the nature of your conversations then I would like to ask you to move out of my way. I am not interested to partake of it," He said with command, breaking through the other two, making his way hurriedly down the halls.

As Iason left, Aisha stared back at his retreating silhouette, smiling.  
"He is recovering, don't you think? If we knew any better, there's a hint of that old stubborn Iason, the one that was lost a year ago,"  
Raoul frowned at what Aisha said, just as the blondy seem to dance to his side, patting his shoulder. "I'd be careful if I were you Raoul, Iason could've planned everything from the start, see?"

Raoul shrugged out of Aisha's fingers with disbelief, staring back at the blondy. "What are you proposing?!"  
"Iason Mink could be playing you around his fingers, Raoul, probably doing it unconsciously," Gideon continued for him, grinning at a side as he pushed his heavy cloak out of his way. "Whatever you hid from us during when Iason disappeared, the reason why he now own a new body, we don't really care, but consider us interested spectators," With this, they turned and left, Gideon bowing ceremoniously as if to mock Raoul "Good day,"

* * *

Vaine had been in the saloon since morning, not wanting to leave and return back to face the 'guest' that his master had brought back a day ago. His pride was ridiculously hurt by Riki and he had to fought back the urge to punch Riki in the face, mainly because he knew the 'guest' would certainly dodge the attack and return it a thousand times worst.

As if it wasn't bad enough, another pet approached his armchair, where he had sat sulking since earlier on. Vaine look up to see a familiar face, though it wasn't one who he was pleasant with.

"Ain't so high and mighty now eh, Vaine?" The pet, a mixed breed whose name Vaine did not even bother to remember, mocked "Heard the news, so a new pet landed in your household eh?"  
"Shut up!" Vaine snapped, straightening up in anger "He is no pet! He is master Iason's guest!"

"What, did they tell you he was a guest?" The boy grinned back "Me master told me he was lord Mink's lover, long before you, take that for news!"  
This was even worse then what Vaine could expect. Of course, there were many rumors about Iason. Pets, unlike the other elites were loose when it comes to heading the rules. Having nothing to do all day, it was normal for them to get hold even the juiciest of gossips, spreading it in a matter of seconds. Unlike the elites, pets never hold their tongue about forbidden issues. If one rumor would die down, it would mainly be due to the topic is of no longer interest to them. Mainly, scandals from the masters seems to be the most interesting of all.

"I would have master Iason slice your sorry dick off, you little twat!" Vaine had his fingers around the other's collar, his rage burning like fire fueled by what the other pet had said. Around them, all the others were watching. Some were even whispering intently among themselves, no doubt starting another new story for their own entertainment.

"What's the matter, Vaine?" The pet however, was unmoved. He noticed the small fear within Vaine, even with the burning rage "Are you going to be thrown away so soon now, replaced by someone of such mere status-from the slums too?"

"Slums…from Ceres?" Vaine is a pet and information like areas were alien to him, but of course he knew about those of the gutter, area 9, Ceres. It was impossible that anyone of them would even be allowed in Midas, moreover a pet of a blondy.  
The next hing Vaine knew, he had pushed the other pet on the floor and was ferociously sending punches to the pet's delicate features. Around him, the others flew into a panic, screaming and shouting for their furniture, some however, cheering on for the fight.

The fight was only torn apart when Security rush in, pulling them apart. Vaine could only shout back in anger, kicking and trashing "How dare you spoke ill of my master! You will pay for this!"  
The other pet however was crying shamelessly, howling for his master in pain.

Iason had only just returned to his penthouse when the doorbell rang. David collected his master's cloak and looked into the intercom, calling to his master with a sudden wave of fear.  
Iason walked over and looked into the screen, noticing Vaine escorted by security.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded as soon as Vaine stepped in. "Fighting in the saloon, my lord," One of the security answered "Master Vaine is to be grounded for 3 weeks and forbidden to leave this house during that period,"  
"Also, master Silverbane would like to have a word in your spare time,"

"Silverbane?" It is a name Iason had not dealt with, but no doubt belonged to one of the elites. "Yes my lord, master Vaine had been caught fighting with master Silverbane's pet,"  
Iason sighed as he waved his hand in dismissal. "Thank you, that would be all,"

After the guards left, Iason strode towards Vaine who seemed ready to defend himself. However, his excuses were cut short when Iason landed a tight slap on his pet's cheek.

Vaine stared back in disbelief, pain blossoming like fire where Iason hit. "A pet should know to hold himself back, A pet from the academy no less"  
Vaine stared back in disbelief. Pets were known to not be touched by their masters, even in disciplining. It was always the furniture to blame, but to Iason Mink, it seemed that was not the case. Tears welled up in Vaine's eyes as the pet quickly turn away and ran back into his quarters.

Iason simply glanced at the boy feeling as if something like this had happened before.

David was trembling at the side, knowing full well of the consequences of a misbehaved pet. "Master, do forgive me, I did not accompany master Vaine to the saloon as I stayed back to take care of our guest—" He started but was cut short when Iason asked for Riki instead.

"The guest room, my lord," David replied gratefully, leading the way.

Riki lay on the bed, his feet propped u against the other. He sat up abruptly when he noticed Iason entering the room.  
"What do you want?"

"Vicious and rude as ever, I see," Iason walked in. The room had been kept clean since it was rarely occupied.  
"If you want anything, then just spit it out, Iason, you only have a week, do you not?" Riki snapped.  
"So you knew," The blondy walk over to the mongrel who folded his arms "You weren't even trying to hide it,"

"Then you wish to stay longer then?" A grin spread across Iason's face "Maybe forever?"  
Riki started, his eyes widening "Don't you start pulling tricks dammit!"  
But Iason was already beside him, his fingers entwining in his hair at the back of his head, pulling him up. "Those times that we shared which I no longer remember, would you do me the favour of reviving it? I am certainly curious,"  
Riki glared for a moment, only to have his expression soften as he watch Iason. "Do you intend to throw me away when you regain those memories?,"

Iason sighed and release Riki, letting him drop.  
"These memories, Riki, its vague," He started, his mask suddenly dropping. Riki saw someone gentle instead standing in front of him. "It's absurd really. To have me actually falling into this…emotions….as a blondy, it's unthinkable. "  
Riki wanted to retort at this, but was cut short when Iason continued on.  
"The memories are returning though. Bit by bit." He said in a barely audible whisper  
"What is it actually that you remember, Iason?" Riki asked

"That I did not want to lose you," Was Iason's reply, his sapphire eyes turning to the mongrel, looking almost pleading.

This took Riki apart, startled as the two plunged into silence. Iason had not planned to let the words leave him and Riki did not expect such an answer. He was aware of Iason's feelings when he had left for Apatia but hearing it again felt alien.  
"Iason—I—" He was about to say something when the blondy's wrist terminal beeped in attention. Iason's façade immediately returned, cutting Riki off and turning his attention to the terminal.

Katze was not surprised to see Riki beside the blondy when the call was connected, but the news he delivered instead sent Iason on full alert instead.

The bombing had happened again. This time however was a little different.  
Guardian now stood with a gawking hole in its side, the damage spreading down even to the basement.

"Get to the site, Katze," Iason ordered "Make sure no one enters the basement!"

* * *

Luke climbed to the top of the rubble after the quake stopped. He watch as Syria sprayed their usual graffiti in the walls that fenced up the Guardian. The ground underneath had also toppled thanks to the explosion and Skullz now stood proud among the rubble, Carlos climbing to join Luke's side.

"Heh," Carlos smirked as he watched the people of Ceres filtering into the square, curious about the chaos. Guardian was a place where they all spent their lives in for at least thirteen years before getting their butts kicked out with nothing but the clothes on their back to survive in Ceres.

"We are Skullz!" Carlos annouced "We now officially claim power over Ceres!"  
"Those who dare go against us will be treated the same as Apatia, Mistral Park and Guardian,"

Meanwhile, Guy and Cid had felt the explosion and joined the crowd in the square, startled to see the commotion that happened there. They watched Luke who stood proudly beside Carlos.  
Guy cursed, trying to find a way to Luke amongst the crowd.  
There were many who were gathered in the square, some of which Guy recognized belonged to their own respected groups, even during the days of Bison's reign.

"Luke, stop this!" Guy shouted as soon as he reach the front.  
Skullz's members were crawling around the area, jumping in gleefully to the burst wall of Guardian, infiltrating the home. This was unheard off and Skullz was proud to be the first ever to have achieved this.  
They walked about the lawn of the Guardian, some even attempting to jump into the hole of the basement that the explosion had created.

Meanwhile, another person had made his way to the site, watching amongst the shadows of the crowd. Katze frowned as he heard what Skullz had to say.  
No doubt, the last bombings in Apatia and Mistral Park was a turf fight, their signature Skull only left behind so that those who knew about them would know what they have manage to achieve. He wasn't sure how, but managing to bring down buildings and statues in Midas is a very big achievement. Now, they had decided to claim their right to brag by causing havoc in Ceres itself, and the most important building that came to mind is of course, Guardian.

Luke and Carlos had come down from the rubbles. Guy grabbed Luke with one arm, twisting him about so that he would face him. "Luke, you need to leave them, this is madness!"  
Luke slapped his arm away, glaring. "Shut up! Who are you to command me that?!" He snapped, seeing Cid behind him "I don't know who you are, but stay out of our way!"

Carlos laughed at the side "It seems like an old man had found interest in you Luke….a special one-armed person too!"  
Guy however, did not find anything amusing. "If you had any sense, you would be taking your little maggots of a group far away by now,"  
Carlos pocketed his palm, cocking an eyebrow.  
"I have been in the underground and know at least enough to stay out of Guardian's businesses," Guy warned "These grounds are under Midas's protection,"

What Guy said however, only drew more laughs from Carlos. "This is Ceres, silly," He chuckled "The police wouldn't even put a foot in the area!"  
"This is our glory, see!" Carlos motioned to the hole in the wall "its clear now who shall reigned over Ceres,"

"You know that's not true," Cid muttered at the back, directing it to Luke. The guy had been standing idly behind Carlos for some time now. "Power is not forcibly proven, Luke! You know that!" Cid half shouted at him "Riki shown us that, Riki did not bring Bison to the top with these underhand methods, Luke! Is this really what you wish for?!"

Suddenly, a scream burst from deep underground, and all heads turned towards the breech on the lawn that led towards the basement.  
"That's Matt-" Sirya muttered, walking towards the hole "And a few others…what's happening down there?"  
Sirya jumped in, curious followed by Carlos, who later called for Luke too.

"Luke, don't—" Cid almost begged but the man simply glance over uninterested, disappearing into the space below.  
What greeted his eyes was shocking. Tubes of neon blue water of all shape and sizes greeted him, with creatures of swirling within the murky water. Some were alive and swimming in its own tubes and some just sat floating in the water, connected by all kinds of pipes, staring back at the group.  
"What the hell is this—" Luke drew a sharp breath, trying to hold back his previous meal. Some of the creatures look so disgusting it made him sick. Carlos was speechless too. Had these creatures been living underneath Guardian all this while?

Up above, Cid and Guy was about to jump in the opening when someone grabbed both of their shoulders, pulling them away.  
"Katze—" Guy of course recognize scarface immediately. "What are you doing here?!"

"You both better leave, now," He said, pointing his jaw to the side. In the crowd were men with grey suits, parting the people violently to make their way towards Guardian. Midas's police.  
"There's no hope for those that are down there anymore," Katze frowned "After they had even dared to announce to everyone what they had done is Apatia and Mistral Park…."  
Cid glance back at the opening. "But…Luke-"  
"Trust me," Katze said with urgency "Whatever that is down there had doomed Kirie, if you do not want to meet same fate, you would be smart and leave this place…at once,"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Eos tower, Riki paced about the room, huffing restlessly.  
"Sit down or I will make you instead," Iason finally spoke, irritated at the mongrel's pacing about. Riki looked around, his shoulders slumping.  
"Orphe had already mobilized his squad," Iason announced from his terminal "There's nothing you could do. Sit. Down."  
Riki cared not about the Skullz. If they were dragged away by Orphe's men it was not his problem. In the slums, the rules are to look after your own back. They had brought this upon themselves, those blasted brats who thought they knew everything. Yet, he couldn't help worrying about Bison's wellbeing.

"Guardian…it holds a lot of secret, isn't it?" Riki finally slumped into a chair in defeat.  
"Oh?" Iason felt impressed. How much information does this mongrel actually know?  
"Kirie…what happened to Kirie was because he took a peek underneath the Guardian so-"

"Why worry about them, when you yourself are in a bad situation?" Iason got up, walking over to Riki. Kirie was a familiar name. Ah, a mongrel boy who seemed eager to climbed out of the slums, only his methods were disagreeable, betraying even his own comrades.  
Riki glanced at the blondy, before turning away. "You only kept me here in hopes to bring back your missing memories,"  
"And it's working, so shouldn't you be rejoicing?" Iason smirked, forcing the mongrel to look at him. "Besides, those missing gaps were mostly about you."  
"Putting Guardian aside, I want to know what happened in Dana Bahn," He said, his fingers suddenly trailing to the numerous scars on Riki's body.

* * *

_**Finally done! I'm sorry for the delay though...I got a little bit demotivated. I would like to make it clear that my English was never good. I have been average in everything I do and even using this writing style is completely a struggle to me. **__**This is also like my second fic? **_I try to improve my writing, tenses and spelling and I do proofread my works over and over before uploading. B_**ut I am human. **_I make mistakes. However, I will keep writing as long as there are those who are interested to read. I only wanted to share my love of Ai No Kusabi after all. peace out OwO


	14. Chapter 13

A moan escaped Riki's lips as Iason's stray hand moved into his shirt. He trailed his fingertips against the skin on Riki's back, feeling every dent of scar that marked the tanned skin of the mongrel.

"What happened in Dana-Bahn?" His voice was barely audible "These scars….were they from then?"  
As soon as the blondie paused, Riki grab hold of his arm and yanked away, flinching out of his embrace.  
"Did Katze not explain everything to you already?" Riki answered with reluctance, glancing away "Quit touching me!"

Iason straightened himself, although still making sure there was no space for Riki to run.  
"Katze had made it clear that he was not present, not until the end when everything had happened, besides would it not be better if I hear it from your own mouth?"  
Riki recalled back the events of Dana Bahn, a nightmare he had relieved a couple of times in the previous months and the pain of losing Iason flooded through him once again as he relieved that moment when he watch him die.

"Don't act so high and mighty," Riki spat, shaking the memory away "You ripped me off everything and even denied me death when I sincerely welcomed it!"  
"…..during that moment, if I had just…just follow you in death, none of this shit would happen."

"Were you not happy to be alive then?" Iason folded his arms in questioning "To be with me?"  
"If you asked that to me before you forced yourself on me I would spit on your face, Iason! There is no way I will want you, never!" Riki bellowed, hurling his arms up in the air in frustration "But now…now…I just...don't know. I watch you die, Iason. I spent weeks fumbling about, trying to find a reason to still be alive!"  
Riki's shoulders slumped as he thought about the past few months, when he had to deal with even living through each day. The thought of reuniting with Iason had propelled him forward though this was something he would never tell anyone or admit willingly, not even at the cost of his own life.

Iason Mink had turned his very being upside down, changing his perspective and ways of thinking. Riki would gladly take on the opportunity to escape from Iason years ago but now, being with the blondy again felt like a deadly wish that had been granted with huge consequences. How he wanted to hold on to Iason but alas, his own ego would never allow that to happen.  
The mongrel slump back into his chair as he slowly explained what had happened in Dana-Bahn, from when Riki was kidnapped in Apatia by Guy, to when the pet ring was removed and finally, how he had ended up in the building, even when he had been given the chance to escape. How finally...he had choose to die with Iason.

_This is our last deep kiss._

Iason had been listening intently, not once interrupting Riki's story. He had manage to suppress the rising anger in the pits of his stomach when he heard about Riki's ex-pairing partner's involvement in this and was confused as to why he had even tried to save that trash, even if Riki had begged him.  
But now, as he looked back into the mongrel's eyes, a memory resurfaced within him and he felt the pain when Riki had begged him to save Guy, even with the horrible things that the trash had inflicted upon his precious pet. Iason at that time knew that if he had abandoned Guy there, Riki would probably felt guilt, hurt and would probably never forgive himself nor the blondy.  
More fragments of memories restored itself and Iason vaguely recalled back what had happened, even before the incidents of Dana-Bahn. Why he had to sent Riki off to Apatia, the reason why the mongrel had attracted him so….and even that moment when he realize he had fallen for that wild beast from the slums.

Iason remained silent for a moment when Riki finally opened his mouth.  
"I hate you, Iason," Riki muttered "You, who had waltz in my life and destroy everything that was important to me,"  
This snapped Iason out of his own thoughts and even with the throbbing pain in his forehead, he reached out for Riki, who seemed to jump in surprise when the blondy pinned him down, pulling him into a kiss. Lips trailing about, Iason teased and demanded entry into Riki, which the mongrel had no choice but to give in, even when he writhed about to escape from the uncomfortable position.

Iason however, had no intention to let Riki go. With one hand, he pushed the mongrel down, and the other would find Riki's pleasure spots, forcing the mongrel to heave and moan in reluctant pleasure. Riki would rather die than admit it, but Iason was suddenly being gentle, and Riki remembered the times when Iason had held him in Apatia, firm and strict as always but a hint of gentleness that Riki could not deny.  
"Stop—Iason!" He pleaded, turning away. Anymore of this and he feared that he would really crumble, the once proud leader of Bison finally succumbed to an elite like Iason. He had always sworn that it would never happen and would probably think it as a sick joke but now knew that he was in danger of the exact same threat.

"You say that, but your face is red and your body seemed to beg for more," Iason smirked, his blonde hair cascading gently on Riki.  
"I am no longer a man," He reasoned, still struggling against the blondy's grip  
"That does not mean you are not capable of doing it," Came Iason's crisp reply "Unlike the furnitures you are not completely useless, Riki. Your body feels it and it longs for my touch. Have I not trained you for this in those years, even if I don't remember?" Iason's free hand moved instead, snaking into his pants and his skin grazed upon a huge scar, what was left of Riki's manhood.  
Riki struggled even harder, feeling the anger blossoming in him instead, a midst all the pleasure.  
"I am not your pet, Iason!" He shouted, but Iason however hovered his fingers beyond there, caressing the entrance and drawing a surprised moan from the mongrel. "No—"

"This place is still reserved for me, is it not?" Iason bend over, whispering into Riki's ears "I wonder, if I take you in again, would everything come back? All the missing pieces of the puzzle, would it restore itself again?" The blondie asked, prodding his entrance, playing.  
Riki drew in a sharp breath. He knew there was no use if he fought back, it would only anger the blondy more, but just then, he caught someone in the corner of his eyes. Turning towards the direction, he caught Vaine standing from a distance, watching them in disbelief.

"Vaine—" He started but Iason had removed his trousers, wanting more contact to Riki. Forcing more pleasurable moans from the ex-pet, he finally took the mongrel, despite Riki's sudden reluctance.

All Riki could remember was the sharp pain that had cut through him as he clawed on Iason, from the corner of his eyes, he could still see Vaine watching, the expression of the pet was nothing more than shock and disbelief. After that it was merely nothing but waves of pain and pleasure, vague moments that he could not recall. What he remembered of the past and what he was faced with now was all in shambles. Past and presence mixed itself up and suddenly all he could see and feel was nothing but Iason.

* * *

It was not until after an hour that Iason finally collected himself again. He had not noticed Vaine who had came down to see what the commotion was about and had also not noticed the boy running away just as soon as he took Riki. All he knew was that wild mongrel under him, his dark eyes that glared back so intensely at him and his scent that filled his nostrils, making Iason lust for more. Iason was filled with a wanting that even he could not suppress.

Memories flooded back into him as he drowned in the pleasure and he felt the strong emotion that had once tied him so crazily to this mongrel. He wanted Riki. Yes. He thirst for him. The conversation from years ago that he had with Raoul brought before him again, powering that strong emotion that he had now hold towards Riki.

_Raoul, what would you do if I said that I have fallen in love with Riki?_

It was impossible that a blondy would love someone, let alone a lowly mongrel from the slums. But what he felt for Riki was genuine. Those years that he had watched Riki grew, the jealousy and pain he felt when Riki went to Mimea instead, that small thrill when he once again met Riki at Mistral Park and that moment when Riki had willingly returned to him in Dana Bahn.

Riki.

Iason sat beside Riki and stroked the mongrel's dark hair. He had of course passed out moments ago and Iason studied his sleeping face, recalling back those times when he had him in his arms, within his silken sheets, his, and his alone.  
Even now, he felt that he will never let him go.

His memories had not all returned but it was enough to let Iason make his decision. He will never again permit himself to be separated from this mongrel.

_Live on._

Yes. He recalled saying that in Dana Bahn, using his last ounce of energy to protect his lover. No matter what, Iason knew that he could not lose his precious pet to the fire and that he needed to protect Riki, at all cost.  
He was a blondy and he could be revived, but what would his world be if Riki were to disappear from the picture?  
He simply will not allow that to happen. In that split of the moment, he had plotted, planned. Riki was his and he intends to not let anything get between them both, not even death.

Gently, he picked up the sleeping mongrel and walked towards not the guest room, but his own chambers.

_You are my pet. You belong to me._

* * *

Meanwhile, David had a hard time trying to calm Vaine down. The pet had returned to his room in a fit of rage, tears streaming down his face as he stormed into his room, toppling over anything he could reach. David had been idle in his room after his master had dismissed him for the day but now found himself trying to calm the pet down.

"How dare he!" Vaine bellowed angrily, prancing around the room "Coming out of nowhere and seducing master Iason like that! He is a son of a bitch, a junk, trash of slums!"  
"Master Vaine, please calm yourself down-" David started, dodging the pillow that Vaine had hurled in his face  
"Those rumors were true weren't they?" Vaine grinded his teeth, wiping away the tears that had streamed uncontrollably down his cheek "Master…master who had not even looked at me once…how could he fall for a trash like him! This is unfair!"

David picked the pillow up, depositing it back to where it belonged. Of course he knew what the pet was talking about but knew it was not in his place to intervene with his lord's business.

"Master Vaine…" David had no idea what he should say to comfort his master but Vaine simply slapped him away, demanding him to be left alone.  
Reluctantly, David could only bow in apology, before retreating back into his quarters with a worried glance.

When the furniture finally left, Vaine dropped on his feet and wept.  
All he wanted was to be acknowledged by his master. From the start until the end, he would've been showered by love from Iason, just like all the other pets if it weren't for that meddling mongrel.

Why?

He was so much more qualified than Riki. So why?  
His days as a pet were numbered. He trembled at the thought of being abandoned by Iason. No, there was no way he would allow that. There was absolutely no way for that to happen.

He curled up as he muttered that name that he loathed so much.  
"Riki—"

* * *

In a secluded bar in the corner of Ceres, where it's entrance weren't even marked except for that run down signboard or at least what was left of it, Katze, Luke and Guy sat in a corner far from the crowd. This was a bar that Bison had frequented long ago, even during Riki's golden times.

"Man, Max looked like he would snap my neck off my shoulders," Cid huffed, resting his chin on the table. They had came here after seeing to that Norris was taken care of by his pairing partner, Max. Katze was about to leave but Guy had forced him here instead, convinced that he would not sit helplessly aside and watch Luke get dragged away.

"Luke was careless, it is nothing more than what he deserved," Katze said, putting a cigarette between his lips, inhaling the crisp smoke. "Didn't Riki always say that you have to watch your own backs? That reminds me, weren't you going to get him back?"

Guy winced at this, retreating ever so slightly. Yes, he intended to retrieve back his ex-pairing partner but he knew that if he meddled more, he could only bring the situation even worse, like how he had manage to done so many times in the past.  
He dropped into silence.

"Is Riki still…with that blondy we met that day in Apatia right?" Cid suddenly asked, breaking the awkward atmosphere between them "Why was he taken by the police that day…is he alright?"  
Katze sighed, seeing that it won't hurt to tell the truth to the them, well, at least bits of it. "Riki had been taken out of those police's custody and is now in the care of Iason Mink,"  
Guy frowned at this but said nothing, turning his eyes away.

Katze, however grew tired of their behavior. He smothered his nearly finished cigarette bud in the ashtray before pulling his coat collars up, facing the other two.  
"Listen here, I would advise you all to not do anything stupid in hopes to get Luke back," He started "That man is a lost cause, and so is Skullz,"  
"Anyone caught by Orphe Zavi would not face a good end, what's more they had even seen _that_,"

"That?" Cid raised an eyebrow, but Katze ignored him.  
"I can't just sit back and watch Luke die," Guy stood up himself, glaring daggers at Katze

"Luke will face the same tragedy that Kirie faced years ago, and so is the rest of Skullz, besides, what can you do?" The redhead was unfazed by him "I advice you all to give up,"  
"Kirie….you took him away—we never heard of him anymore after that!" Guy accused, ignoring his taunt but Katze merely rolled his eyes.  
"That is exactly what will happen ," He frowned "So unless you plan to disappear from the face of Amoi itself I strongly suggest you all to not be smart asses,"  
"No matter, however since whatever happens to you all should be none of my business," He turned away "but then again, haven't you all meddled enough, though? Isn't an arm enough already?"

Katze walked away, leaving the duo alone. Guy flapped into his chair, suddenly feeling tired.  
Cid studied him, staring at the empty sleeves by his side.  
"Guy...you know, you haven't tell me yet," He started "What happened a year ago when you disappeared...and that arm. I know I shouldn't butt in but do I not deserve to know?"  
Guy fixed his gaze upon him, finally sighing in surrender.

* * *

Eos tower, Apex level where only the blondies, the elites of the elites were permitted to take up residence.

Orphe Zavi returned after a day's work, walking slowly towards his penthouse. The 'terrorist' of the bombings had finally been apprehended and confined. But what's bad however, was that they had manage to slide their way into the basement of Guardian and discovered the secrets that Midas had kept hidden for years.  
From among those they had extracted from that basement, there were some that had lost their mind over what they had seen there. His man had to hurl some unconscious slumdogs into the Midas station. Only a few had their sanity intact, expressing interest for the subjects hidden beneath the basement.

One of them, a notorious teenager no more than fifteen who calls himself Carlos. He seemed brave enough to put up a front when being interrogated. Carlos was reported to be visibly trembling, yet would dared to even taunt the officer and throw them with threats.

"_You can do whatever you want with us," _Carlos had announced in the video report delivered to Orphe_ "Skullz would live as long as our leader exist, you can't erase us, our legacy will continue, we who build our names among your empire," _

Orphe frowned, Carlos's taunt replaying back in his mind. If so, the leader of the perpetrator has not been caught and was still freely roaming around Ceres. This simply cannot be allowed. The leader needed to be found and one of the most efficient way would be a method that Raoul Am favors.  
He turned away, heading towards Raoul's quarters instead, hoping the blondy would not be too moody to receive him.

Raoul Am however was too preoccupied by his own irritation when Iason Mink had refused his visit or invitation to a drink that day, implying greatly that he wishes not to see his face. Not only that, his previous conversation with Jupiter was still fresh in his head and he wondered why Jupiter had suddenly seemed so lenient on the matter.

Due to this, he had been immersing himself in his work all day, even to the point of neglecting time. He jumped and almost dropped the test tube of assorted colours within his fingers when the entrance suddenly slid open, announcing Orphe's arrival.

"What is it this time?!" Raoul huffed, putting down the experiment he had  
"My men had finished interrogating the mongrels we had taken in suspect of the bombing activities," Orphe announced, approaching the work table. Raoul raised a brow in question.  
"I would like your help in extracting the truth out of them," Orphe continued. This however brought a bemused expression on Raoul, his irritation only slightly evaporating.

"Memory extraction?" He offered "You know full well this would harm the subject and render them useless?"  
Orphe was unfazed. "Do what you must, they are pretty much useless anyway….if we cannot find the leader of that pathetic group then our efforts would be for naught,"

Raoul nodded, pulling off the gloves that he had on. "Very well, have them delivered to my lab and I will have a look tomorrow," he said, suddenly noticing the time.

Orphe watch as Raoul tidied up his table, getting ready to leave. "Have Iason not contact you about his mongrel, though?" He suddenly asked, causing Raoul to pause in his tracks.  
Anger once again boiled within the blondy in charge of bio sciences.  
"If I know anything I would not be in here, irritated!"

Just then, the door slid open and admitted Aisha Rozen who waved a dataslate in greeting. "Oh, I'm glad I caught you before you leave and Orphe too! How is the interrogation going, eh?"  
Raoul frowned, even more annoyed. And Orphe merely kept his face blank.

"Relax, these are the documents you told me about during the meeting, I am only here to pass it to you," Aisha shrugged, dropping the slate on Raoul's table.  
"Fine," Raoul snapped "Now get out,"

"Stiff as ever," Aisha replied with a smirk "Not even a word of thanks. What's gotten into your mind, have Iason ignored you too much that it caused you to be in shambles, Raoul?"

This of course hit a nerve.  
"Aisha, hold your tongue," Orphe warned, but Aisha simply shrugged.  
"I can't help feeling like the whole thing is a game, planned out by Iason, see. He is the player and we are merely his pawns, heck, maybe even Jupiter,"  
"Aisha!" Raoul snapped but Aisha continued  
"Fine, I will stop talking," He giggled "Well, give it a thought would ya? It is very interesting indeed to see where this is going,"

* * *

**_I would like to thank you all for the reviews last chapter! It lifted my spirits greatly! I can't really write much in *that* scene so sorry about that but I really do hope you guys enjoy this chapter too~~ XDD I will try to update as soon as possible, see ya next_**_ chapt!_


	15. Chapter 14

"_It's not enough," His sapphire eyes would gaze upon him, taking in every detail of Riki's being, his face brought closer to as so to whisper in his ears. "It's not enough, Riki,"  
To which Riki will arched his body, Iason's fingers teasing the spots that it knows so well off. Incapable of holding back, the pleasurable moans escaped the mongrel's lips, his erected member contradicting his plea for Iason to stop._

_The pet ring clamping him down tightly bear no mercy to the precious pet of the blondy, who is the only pet who had the privilege to be tasted by his master, a taboo yet to Iason it would mean nothing. He wanted Riki and he would get what he yearned for. _

"_It's not enough," His voice was soft but to Riki, it rang in his ears, bringing him deeper into pleasure, no matter how much he deny it.  
"The ring-!" He pleaded for release as the tears he could no longer hold back gushed down his cheek. "Iason, the ring!"_

"_You are my pet….you belong to me," The blondie whispered, circling Riki's manhood as he gave the mongrel his wish. _

Riki woke up with a start. He was naked and lying on a soft bed covered with sheets made of satin, above him shimmered lights of gold, dimmed down low. He shifted a little to take in more of his surroundings, noticing that the bed that was humongous and so was the room it was placed in, the walls painted with a light colour.  
This was Iason Mink's chamber, the place where Riki had previously been forced to submit and taken by the blondy himself.  
What had happened? Riki's whole body ached and he did not dare to move any further.  
Yes. Iason had taken him. Tasted him again. He had then passed out…and Iason had carried him here. He laid on his back and tried to comprehend what had happened the night before. Just then, he heard the soft familiar footfalls of a blondy. Panicked, Riki shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Iason Mink had just prepared himself for his daily chores, returning only to gaze upon Riki before leaving. He approached the bed without a word, not noticing that the mongrel was already awake.  
Producing a small velvet box from his pocket, he took out a ring and slid it unto Riki's left ring finger.  
The metal felt cold upon Riki's skin but he daren't move. The blondy then rested his gloved palm on the ring Riki now wore and kissed the mongrel lightly on his lips.  
"You belong to me, Riki," He whispered ever so softly.

When Iason finally left, Riki once again opened his eyes and stare at the ring now clircling his finger. He was instantly reminded of the rings that Iason had snatched from him on his first day here. He had demanded it back several times only to have his request ignored by the blondy.  
The ring bore the exact same design and details from the ring he had once wore on his penis, a mark of his status as a pet.  
"I'm not a pet!" Riki snarled and tried to yank the ring off, suddenly feeling enraged but the ring would not budge, just as how his D-type ring was, it can only be removed by the master himself.  
"I don't need a pet ring!" Grinding his teeth, he sat up slowly, feeling the immense pain from the previous night hammering into his bones. "Damn it Iason…."  
The dream he had this morning was a reminder of his days as a pet, a toy of an elite such as Iason Mink. He had loathed the blondy with his very being ever since the day he met him, yet now found himself chasing after that hatred he had tried to escape from.

Thinking back however, the Iason that had sneaked the ring on his finger was so gentle that Riki felt as if his last line of defense had finally crumble away. "You are cruel," He muttered, clasping his raven hair as he lamented "Stop tearing me apart…Iason,"  
"…..I can never submit to you…"

* * *

David greeted him as usual when Iason exited his chambers, reading his schedule out loud.  
"Make sure Riki is cared for," Iason muttered as he stared at his gloved hand. The master ring rest proudly at the base of his left ring finger and a grin slightly formed on Iason's face when he imagined Riki trying to yank off his pet ring.  
Yes, this was the exact same pair that the mongrel had brought in the day Iason had bailed him out of Orphe's cell. It was the same pair that Iason had forced Riki to wear when he was a pet. But now it was different, at least for Iason Mink.

Just then, a boy ran into his path, glaring intensely at the blondy with his mismatched eyes as he forced him to draw into a stop. "Good morning, master Vaine," David greeted, however sensing the danger of where this might lead to. Vaine ignored the furniture, moving his attention to Iason instead.

"Master, how long do you intend to keep that filthy thing?!" Vaine questioned boldly...much too boldly. "What do you even see in him?!"  
Iason however could not even care less about Vaine. If Raoul had not pushed him to welcoming this pet into his home, he would not even agree to this. His good friend had betrayed him, even going as far as to erase his memories and force him to accept a replacement for Riki. This was something he could not forgive, even if it was Jupiter's will…even if he had once predicted that it would happen.

"I believe that you are not in the place to question what I do," Being a blondy, it was only natural that he towered above Vaine, who could barely even reach his shoulders. Iason Mink did not even bother to remove the shades that he had worn while facing this needless and pathetic pet.  
There was no need for two pets in his household. "Learn your place," Iason continued as he moved past the boy.

With that, Iason left the house, leaving Vaine gawking at what had happened.  
"Master Vaine…" David started only to be slapped off by the pet. "Leave me alone!" He shouted in anger. "I am his pet, not that mongrel….not anyone else!" Vaine screamed "I deserve the attention! Why…why is it that lowly scum...?"  
"I….I don't get it…."

* * *

The room felt dreadfully cold, even for Iason Mink who possessed an Android body. He felt it when the temperature plunged as soon as he laid a foot in Jupiter's presence. Here in the most restricted area of Jupiter's tower, where only the blondies are allowed access to, it is where the super computer that overlooked the whole of Amoi dwell.  
And today, that super computer, Jupiter was not so keen to receive the visitor that stood before it as it materializes into view.

_How long has it been, since you step foot in my presence, Iason Mink?_

"Long enough for me to recover the answers I needed," Iason would answer. He had always viewed this figure as a majestic being but even since Riki was brought into the picture, Iason soon find that there is more to that belief.

_What then, do I owe the pleasure of your visit?  
It seems that you have recovered your missing memories._

"You know I was searching then?" Iason chuckled. As expected of the supercomputer that had created him "I am curious, Jupiter. If you were serious, you would've intervened in my search. You alone were capable of doing that. So why had you not stopped me?" Iason frowned as he raised his question "There is something more to your involvement in this, is there not?"

Jupiter's hologram paused for a moment, tapping it's enormous fingers in the air as if it were thinking.

_As expected of you, Iason. You never fail to impress me.  
_A pause.  
_I knew you would come in with that question sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. _

"You knew?" Iason glared

_Sweet child, of course I would. The day you decided to die alongside that filthy being that belonged to the slums that had opposed to my good grace….and the intention you held while you tried so desperately to save him...Do you really think I have played into your fingers?_

Iason had not expected this.

_You never fail to impress me, Iason Mink._

"What are you planning?" Iason muttered with a heavy air around him.

_You are my greatest creation, Iason Mink. Your feelings towards that mortal is the best result I can ever get. With this, Amoi could be brought forward, born into a new generation._

"You have been using me and Riki as an experiment?" All this while, it was Jupiter who held on the the strings, playing them like puppets in its own game. Not only had Iason played into Jupiter's elaborate trap, even Riki and Raoul had been caught in it.

_A whole new generation would be created, Iason, a whole new generation of far more superior beings...not to mention weapons...and there would no longer be anyone who dare oppose Amoi or me….and you are my stepping stone_

"I don't see how my and Riki's involvement would bring such a result for this world!" Iason frowned

_Of course you do not, Iason for I am the one who calculates and knows the true future, the result of it. I do not convey to you what I know of and you can never understand that, even if you are a blondy. I am the brain of this land…and you however are my arms._

"The arms you had used like mere rats in Raoul's lab!" Iason turned away, overwhelmed with anger. "Your plans won't stop here, will it not?"

_A being far more superior than you…shall I grant such power to that mongrel you treasured so much and let you watch the sufferings and agony he will be put through thanks to my will? Oh a mortal is always so fragile. Give them what they wanted, pleasure, choice, freedom and they will gladly wag their tail for you...but once granted with immense power...they break. They would crumble so easily into nothingness. Pathetic._

"Don't you dare lay a finger on-"  
Iason was cut short when he felt Jupiter's palms circling him, cupping him in its grasp.

_You assumed that I and the rest have danced into your palm….but know this Iason, you are still incomplete and it would take more than this for you to fight against me. _

Iason turned again, finding himself face to face to the being he had once treated like a mother, adored and loved. What he now felt towards this being however were the complete opposite of it.  
"You will never win,"

_Perhaps I already have._

With that, the hologram that signified Jupiter's presence evaporated and dematerialized. Iason stood for a moment, feeling the temperature rising back to normal. What Jupiter had said ringing against his ears.  
Narrowing his eyes, he made a resolve before leaving the room.

Never will he allow Jupiter to proceed with its plans.

* * *

Orphe Zavi had almost started an argument with Aisha Rozen had he not suddenly noticed Iason walking towards them, probably heading back to his penthouse.  
"Iason, I do believe you are aware that your week is almost over," Orphe started, standing right into Iason's path. "Have you found the answers that you were searching for?"

Iason maintained his cold demeanor, keeping up a blank façade. "I see no reason to answer that," he said  
"…what?" Orphe started, as if he heard something foul.

Just then, Aisha stepped in, interrupting the two with his usual ease. "I am organizing a soiree tonight and Iason, you are to bring both of your pets, is that clear?"  
Iason however frowned at this, wanting to rebuke the blondy almost immediately when Aisha patted him on his shoulders. "Attendance is mandatory, see?"

"Don't decide things on your own, Aisha!" Iason warned dangerously, to which Aisha simply brushed off. "It's not all the time that a person would own two pets at a time right?" He said matter-of-factly "Bring them and show them off, is that not what pets are for?"

Iason narrowed his eyes, knowing that in this state, he could not escape from Aisha's enthusiasm. "Very well," He finally muttered, much to Orphe's surprise "Only if the pets are allowed at our feet instead of the ring,"  
"Acknowledged," Aisha nodded.

"He's planning something," Orphe frowned, turning back to Aisha as soon as Iason had left the place.  
"Isn't that how he had always been?" Aisha shrugged and turned away. He had a busy day ahead of him. Organizing soirees and social events are always the gist for Aisha Rozen.

* * *

"Fuck you," Riki muttered, fiddling on the collar he now wore around his neck. Iason glared at Riki once to warn him about his language choices as they walked into the hall. "I am still not your fucking pet, why do I have to attend this!"

"Master Riki….please hold yourself while in the midst of society…" David begged. He was holding on to a leash connected to a sulking Vaine. Being the stubborn mongrel Riki was, he had refused to even touch those chains. Iason had said nothing, thus allowing him to freely roam about only in the collar that David had begged Riki to wear. With a condition that he do not stray from Iason's sight. Besides that, Riki had not even bother wearing anything from the pet's wardrobe, preferring his black leather jacket and equally dark shirt from Ceres.

"What is the meaning of this ring though, Iason?!" Riki brought the silver ring up to Iason's eye level. The blondy raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming upon his face. "Do you not like it?" He asked "You were so fond of keeping it the other day,"

"Not like this!" Riki wave his fingers in his face "Why can it not be taken off?!"  
Iason walked to his side and with barely a whisper, he asked in an almost inaudible voice, "Has the pet ring ever be allowed off you, Riki?"

Riki's face flushed as he turned to glare at the blondy who had so nonchalantly walked away.  
Riki quickly caught up, his still filled with rage but not finding any way to retort Iason. Sure enough, Iason had remembered many details from before the events of Dana Bahn. As much as Riki wanted to loath him and deny his own feelings for the blondy, deep down, he was glad that Iason had started to remember.

Behind them, however, was Vaine, looking at the scene playing in front of his eyes. Iason had refused to hold on to his leash, even though Vaine belonged to him. He had ordered David instead to lead him and the stab he felt in his heart when he saw Riki so close to his master was beyond his comprehension. Pure jealousy was gripping his heart, threatening to crush it.

Yet what can he do, except to sulk?

* * *

The hall was decorated with a fancy that Iason immediately recognize as Aisha's taste. It was extravagant with food of all sorts lay out on a long table. The stage was alive with pets from all status of elites conversing with each other. Elites however roamed the hall, chit-chatting about the latest gossips and issues.

Gideon Lagat waltzes his way through an excited crowd, he always being the jewel of a party like he is. He smiled and greeted to those who did the same towards him, tackling them with complete ease. He made his way towards Iason as soon as he laid eyes on him.

"Greetings!" Gideon smiled brightly at them. As usual, his long blonde hair had been pulled backwards and his eyes sparkled with excitement. "I see you keep your promise to Aisha and brought both of your pets,"  
"And if it's not the precious mongrel of the slums," Riki flinched when Gideon turned towards him, grinning. Riki however knew to be wary of blondies, what with his last encounter with them. He did not answer, only taking the initiative to glare back at Gideon.  
"Same as always, I see," Gideon however, felt amused "You are always so interesting,"

"Our seats, Gideon," Iason muttered, removing his shades. Gideon nodded and quickly led them to the platform where the blondies had gathered, all with their own pets upon their feet.  
Some, Riki noticed had cocked an eyebrow or pulled a face when he entered beside Iason but none dared to raise their voice about it. This is precisely why he had loathed going to soirees with Iason, even during his days as a pet. Not only was his first time a humiliation, he was force into submission with the pet ring, like a joke and a laughing stock the other time too.

He clicked his tongue when he settled into the cushion at Iason's feet. What use was it if he refuses? Iason would have him into submission in mere seconds….  
_Do not make me repeat myself._

Riki shuddered at the memory, suddenly realizing how fast he had returned back into the old Riki, the one that Iason had tamed into a pet. He clicked his tongue, suddenly noticing Vaine staring at him from the other side. He replied with a glare, causing the pet to quickly turn away.

The pets around them sitting by their blondy master's feet were all staring at them, scanning Riki and Vaine from head to toe. Vaine could not blame them. He was after all a pet of the highest elite, Iason Mink and had build his name within their ranks too…but no, their attention was to Riki, the second pet that master Iason had brought back, allowed the absence of a leash nor any qualifications of being pet.

He sulked even further and concentrated instead on what the blondies was talking about. Many had mentioned about Vaine's strangely mismatched eyes and some to Vaine's annoyance was comparing him with Riki.  
"They look alike, do they not?" One of the blondies said "Riki being the older one,"  
Oh how he wanted to retort, to say that he will never resemble such a low life from the slums. But alas, the memory of the pain when Iason had slapped him before was fresh in his mind, holding his mouth shut.

"Raoul!" Aisha bellowed when a blondy walked in "You are late!"  
"I couldn't care less about these parties," Raoul Am frowned as he found his way into his seat "unlike you, I have work to do,"

"Your lab is near to this hall, is it not?" Another blondy chuckled "You can always return back to your work afterwards,"  
Raoul ignored him and turn his attention to Iason, who nodded to him in greeting, for the first time in weeks acknowledging his presence. Raoul raised an eyebrow in questioning, yet suddenly noticing the two pets sitting by his feet.  
"You brought them both," He unconsciously muttered

"Of course he would!" Gideon exclaimed, a wine cup between his fingers "Aisha had demanded it, after all,"  
Raoul however noticed Riki glaring at him, as if he had known how much the blondy had wanted him dead. Raoul frowned back in return, wanting nothing more to kick the pathetic man that had caused his misery. But instead, he walked to his seat, settling down with a sigh.

"You were busy with the prisoners?" Orphe Zavi asked. Raoul nodded and massaged his temple. "That boy is a hard nut to crack," Raoul hissed, taking up a cup that had been offered to him. "He won't spill….only talking gibberish up till now,"

"Is this about the bombing?" One blondy asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.  
"Stay out of this, Marcus," Orphe sighed "We shouldn't be talking about this here anyway…I apologize,"

"So how was your week with your….pet, Iason?" Aisha turned the topic away, giving no heed to the other two blondies. Riki frowned at this, not anticipating the question.  
Iason however, kept his usual cool, leaning back into his chair and sipping the wine from his cup. "Fruitful, at least," He said but after a paused, straightened himself.  
"I intend to keep Riki,"

The whole place went silent. Many knew of the condition that Iason had agreed to so that he could bring Riki home, but never had they thought that the blondy had intended to breech his own words and extend Riki's stay.  
Even Riki himself seem shock at the news.

"Pardon?" Orphe's voice was somehow shaky.

"I intend to keep Riki by my side," Iason repeated coldly.

Raoul was speechless. Had he regained all of his memories? He was already showing signs of recovery the moment he had been reunited with Riki….but to this extend?  
Raoul had once thought that everything would be settled once the time is up…but it seems that Iason had other plans of himself.

"Jupiter will not allow this," Raoul finally muttered, the heavy tension that hangs in the air was unbreakable. The pets around their feet did not understand what they were talking about….except Riki and Vaine.  
"Oh?" a hint of a smirk on Iason's face "you think so?"

"_I_ won't allow it, Iason!" Orphe gasped, standing up from his seat.

"You, and the rest of you who have withheld information from me when I needed it most, now tries to oppose me?" Iason raised an eyebrow at him "You all who had watched in silence in the past when I hold Riki by my side, trained him, tamed him, why do you oppose me now?"

Orphe fell into silence.

"The rules are no different, I see no reason why I am not allowed to keep him," Iason continued on "If you said that he is your prisoner and a criminal, then tell me, his crimes and find me proofs of it,"

Orphe flinched, taken aback.  
"You cannot own more than one pet, Iason," Gideon's grin had not disappeared from his face.

"That is a problem that I can easily solve," Iason simply replied, much to Vaine's horror. From the corner of Riki's eyes, he could see the boy trembling, aware of his uncertain fate. Iason however, paid no heed to him.  
"I will keep Riki, no matter what it takes,"

* * *

**_Finally! Sorry for the delay...got distracted way too much...XDD;; Anyway, I have also written a one shot fic for Ai No Kusabi, Check it out~ As usual, reviews are very welcomed! I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading XDD_**


	16. Chapter 15

It was late evening when Katze stepped into the square, his eyes narrowed when he noticed the automated drones around the building, patching up the hole that Skullz had created. The smoke from his cigarette bud wafted into the night air, with nothing but run down streetlamps to lighten his way. This after all is the slum city Ceres, a place that had long been abandoned by Jupiter. Trash littered as far as the eyes could see and the only decent building, Guardian, that had stood tall in these slums now spotted a hole on its side, wide enough to even allow entrance into its basement.  
That opening was the first to be repaired by the drones, quickly patching up the hole as not to allow its secrets to leak outside into the world. Several police guards stood at the side, keeping a close surveillance at the drones and their repair work. They had clear orders to shoot down whoever that goes near but to Katze, he could clearly see how the guards felt about stepping on Ceres's grounds—Disgusted.

But of course Katze knew the importance of these repairs and why it needed to be done quickly. Those skullz brats had put themselves in the line of fire by attempting to gain fame through not only Guardian but to even challenged Apatia and mistral Park...It was a foolish act; one that would bring fourth their own demise, to the point of no return.  
The basement of Guardian contains top secret information that not even those who lived within the building itself were allowed to know about it. For years Midas had kept its claws upon it, threatening to bring down anyone who dared to stick their nose too deeply into the matter.  
And as far as Katze knew, there had only been one who had attempted to do so, with the cause of his sanity and life.

Suddenly, his attention on the drones broke, noticing someone else besides him in the central. This person who stood not so far away had a smaller frame with dark coloured baggy cloak too big for his size. His hair was tucked away in a beanie and his collar turned up high so as to conceal his face.  
No, it shouldn't even be a he at all.

"Mimea," Katze frowned and approach the girl, who turned towards him with a start.  
"What are you doing here?!" Her pale eyes searched him for an answer, as if she was caught at a place where she shouldn't be.  
"I should be asking you the same," Scarface frowned "You should've gone home when I told you to,"

"Well…yeah," She shrugged, seemingly trying to avoid Katze.

* * *

Evening had soon faded into night when the soiree ended and the window panels revealed a wonderful city glimmering with brilliance, as if it were trying to compete with the night sky above it. Here in Tanagura and Midas, night never bothers its people. To them, life is an endless cycle of fun and pleasure. Riki watched from the hall, recalling how he had once enjoyed sitting on the balcony of Iason's penthouse immersing himself in the night scenery below him.

"Is Iason not back yet?" He turned to the furniture that stood beside him, feeling rather annoyed that he had been made to wait with David and Vaine.  
"Master Iason had mentioned that he needed to have a word with Lord Am…perhaps it will take awhile more…" David answered apologetically.  
Vaine however, folded his arm with irritation.  
"What, can't wait to see your master so much?" He taunted "Want to rush back home so that you can suck his cock and immerse yourself in pleasure?"

Riki threw the pet a sideway glance, not bothering to answer. It would be a waste of time to fight with this brat anyway. He was vaguely reminded of the time he had with Kyrie, the lad desperately trying to get his attention, even until the last moment.

"_You cannot own two pets,"_

Vaine recalled what that blondy…Lord Gideon Lagat had said. There was amusement in his face as if he were stating it very matter-of-factly, curious to know what course of action the Iason would take. His answer however was expected, but horrifying to Vaine.

"_That is a problem I can easily resolve,"_

Iason had said it with an icy cold fecade, giving nothing away, not even a hint of what he was going to do. But to Vaine it was a wakeup call, a confirmation that his days as the pet owned by Iason Mink, the head of the blondy syndicate was numbered.  
He was drowned in fear and rage, of the unknown and his jealousy towards Riki, the thought of even losing to someone from the slums felt disgusting and impossible.  
"Too chicken to answer me?" Vaine mocked. He was annoyed at the fact that he was being ignored and would do anything to get under Riki's skin. He wanted nothing more to eradicate the pet and the metal that was hidden in his boots felt terribly cold against his skin "Think I was right?"

"If you have time to make speculations why don't you run along with the other pets?" Riki snapped instead, equally irritated at the pet "I'm sure you liked the attention," He hadn't bother looking at Vaine.

And that was when Vaine finally snapped.

Vaine was a pet, born with the highest caliber fitting for a pedigree bred within the academy. However, he was like all the other pets, only blessed with a handful of knowledge and education, lacking suitable amount of rationality, reason and sense. He was trained to lust and to entertain the elites and his master. Yet Vaine was even more unique than that. Vaine had learnt to let his instinct take control, like a wild beast yearning to pounce and to pick fights for survival.

The fine metal hidden within his boots was a foldable laser blade, stolen from one of his master's possessions while David wasn't looking. Caught off guard and not expecting the pet to own a weapon, Riki now stood with a long gash on his arm.

"Master Vaine!" David attempted to yank on Vaine's chains to stop the pet but Vaine was stronger. With a heave he pulled the chains away and manage to tackle Riki instead, pinning the mongrel to the ground and wrapping the chain around his neck.

"Why is it you!" He screamed, his uneven eyes mad with anger, his fingers clinging on to the chains in a desperate attempt to strangle him "Am I not way better than you?! Everything that you have, I do too, and perhaps even better, yet why did he want a cocky bastard like you?!"

For a moment, Riki saw a flash of Kirie within Vaine, both of them thirsting to be recognized for their efforts and talent. Riki's arms were bleeding pretty badly but he managed to push Vaine away, yanking the chains away from his neck.  
Vaine was however still poised to fight, the laser blade pointing dangerously at Riki.

Riki was a fighter. For years he had reigned over Bison with his strength and his fist, yet those years are over and with the recuperation he had to go through after Dana Bahn, it was natural that his muscles were now weak, no longer able to show the power it was once proud of. True that the experience he gained while living in the slums would triumph over Vaine's training in the gym, Riki knew that his chances were thin with the blood now pouring out of his arm, painting the marble floor under him a deep scarlet.

David could only watch from the sidelines, not knowing what to do. Riki couldn't blame him. Violent pets were never part of a furniture's training.

"Stop it!" Riki snapped "Hurting me will not make your situation any better!"  
"It won't make it any worse either!" Vaine lunged forward again, the knife glowing with a furious red, looking sharp and dangerous. Riki evaded his attack and knee the boy's torso, successfully paralyzing Vaine for a second or two. Seeing his chance, he turn and ran, knowing that Vaine would soon be on his feet again.

He ran out of the hall, glad that most of the guests had already left. Vaine was hot on his trails but Riki had started to feel dizzy from blood lost. He looked around the corridor, noting a door at the far end.  
It was his best option. He would've stayed and fight tooth and nail but he knew that it would only make the situation worse. He dodged into the door that had slid open for him, enabling the lock from the inside before Vaine could catch up.

Furious, the teen run his blade along the metal door, throwing threats and taunts in languages that Riki did not know a pet such as Vaine was capable off.  
For a moment, Riki just stood there, watching the door expecting Vaine to burst through any moment, the blade gleaming in his hands.

When he finally convinced himself that the mechanism will not open for Vaine, he finally settled and back away, noting how he had entered a laboratory of some kind. Vials of every shape and sizes cluttered on any available flat surfaces, tools and apparatus of all kinds were arranged with accordance to size and use in their respected place. The lab was huge and where Riki stood, he could see a cylinder tank glowing a dim blue. The liquid inside occasionally burst with small air bubbles, concealing the matter that floated within it. Riki tore off the sleeves of his jacket, using it as a bandage for his wounded arm, in hopes that it would slow the blood flow.

He looked back at the door, suddenly feeling sorry for Vaine. As much as he loathed the boy, he knew what had brought him into such misery. Even though he tried not to admit it, he had no doubt disrupted the lives of many. Guy, Kirie, Mimea….Bison…Iason and now…even Vaine. Katze had told him many times that it was never his fault but the guilt soon came crushing down again, piercing him like cold icicles. It was because he was so indecisive, greedily holding on to everything precious that he ended up losing it all.

Wanting to put his mind off it, he turned and looked around. At the far end of the room, he noticed capsules lining up against the wall, the strange machinery reminded him of when he worked for Katze as a courier agent, transporting pets in those capsules.  
Curious as to why such a thing was sitting in a lab, Riki approached it, pressing his wounds to stop the bleeding. He peered into the oval window of one of the capsules, noting that it was occupied and a familiar face now stared back at him, its eyes and mouth hanging wide open.

A sharp breath.

"What are you doing!?" Someone shouted and Riki turned towards the direction of the voice, his eyes wide with horror. Raoul was at the far end and there were warning in his eyes and Iason stood behind him, his face contorted when he noticed the gash on Riki's arms. Behind them, Riki could see Vaine being held down by a number of security guards and Orphe was standing in the doorway, anxious to know what was happening.

"Riki, get away from there," Iason warned, approaching the mongrel "We need to get you medical attention,"  
However, Riki was trembling from what he had seen in the capsule.  
"Don't come near me," He warned, throwing a glare at Iason. It was a glare that he had used long ago, when he was first forced into submission by Iason. He looked around the capsule anxiously, trying to find a way to open it.

"Stop him!" Raoul shouted his orders but Iason moved forward and yank him away, pressing on his wounds so tight that Riki let out a scream.  
"Let me go!" He shouted furiously, struggling against the blondy's immense power "Let go of me, you liar!"

"When have I ever lied to you, Riki?" Iason replied coldly, unmoved by Riki's thrashing about  
"Luke—I have to save Luke!" Riki tried to push the blondy away "You said that you won't hurt them!"

Iason threw a glance at the glass of the capsule from where he stood seeing what Riki was going on about. For there, sitting in the refrigerated capsule was Luke, his eyes and jaws wide open and contorted in a torturous expression, broken from the numerous experiments that Raoul had subjected to him in order to extract the truth.  
This laboratory was in fact Raoul's workspace, his years of knowledge housed within this room. How Riki had ended up in here, Iason could guessed, but having him to see what was left of his broken _former _companion….

"Riki, listen to me," He started, loosening the grip he had on his wounds but Riki threw him a glare instead, managing finally to yank himself away from the blondy  
"I was foolish to thought that I can trust you," Riki muttered, his eyes filled with such hatred as he glared at both Iason and Raoul "You and your blondies disgust me with your cruelty!" He turned and attempted once again to release Luke from the capsule.

Hurt from what Riki had uttered, if the mongrel had just looked at the blondy, he would have noticed the fire burning within the Iason's eyes, despite the icy cold façade he still donned.

"That's right, Riki," He suddenly whispered, fiddling with the ring on his finger "I am cruel."

A shock of electricity traveled through the ring on Riki's finger, managing to reach a nerve and leave him an unconscious heap on the ground before he could even react. Effortlessly, Iason hurled him up, careful not to damage his arm any further.

"I will handle this," He announced to both Raoul and Orphe.  
"I thought you have removed the mongrel's pet ring," Raoul said

"I have," Iason merely replied "He is not wearing a pet ring,"  
Raoul looked suspiciously at Iason, confused at what he had just said. Orphe however turned towards Iason just as he was about to leave.  
"And the pet?"

"He is a criminal by the law that you are so keen to obey," Iason answered "Why do you now seek my opinion? Do whatever you want with him, it is no longer my business."  
"You are his master," Orphe stated  
"Ex," With that he left carrying Riki like a precious jewel and David hurrying to catch up with his master.

"What do you make of that?" Orphe turned his attention towards Raoul, who sat angrily into a chair. "His memories should be nearly completed already….and god knows what Jupiter is up to,"  
Orphe frowned at this. What has Jupiter got to do with it?

Raoul stared at the capsule with a forlorn expression. "Iason had told me what Jupiter had in store for us…." He rubbed his temple  
"I do not know what to trust anymore, Orphe,"

* * *

They were in Mimea's place. The cozy interior was a huge improvement from the central in front of Guardian, what with the guards' watchful eyes. As soon as Mimea removed her coat and beanie, Katze sat her down on a chair and leaned against the counter.  
"You have five minutes," He frowned, a new cigarette between his lips. "Talk."

Mimea fidgeted at first, wanting no more than to escape the awkward situation but knew that Katze would surely not let her off the hook this time. It was a mistake for her to visit the site of the explosion. It was so near to home that she could not resist the temptation, not expecting her own boss to turn up there.

There was a veil of silence between them, Mimea not knowing where to start. Finally, she threw her hands up in the air as if she had given up.  
"I'm sick of everything, Katze!" She shouted

Katze's eyes narrowed, waiting.

"This planet is corrupted. As an ex-pet I have seen and watched everything that happened, the blondy's inexplicable behavior….Midas's citizens…they boast of their status and their capabilities. Born into luxury and pleasure, they enjoy themselves until death claimed them and as if that wasn't enough they had even attempted…no, achieved immortality," Mimea ranted on "It disgusts me, even as a pet I feel disgusted, I felt as if I can no longer just sit here and wait,"

She got up instead and pranced about, her back facing Katze. As someone who is involved in the underground, Katze understand what Mimea meant and was surprised that she had learned so much in such a short period of time.

"Riki and Jana was caught in all this," She muttered "They were victims to nothing but the elite's selfish whims…they did not deserved what they got,"  
Mimea was an ex-pet. Being bred from an artificial womb, she knew that there was not much time she had left to be alive, yet as she learned under Katze's guidance and worked for him, she had plotted and planned, an intricate mission to seek for revenge…to seek for revenge against the elites that had caused her misery….and to bring the pet system to a stop.

She had decided to trust Katze, knowing how the ex-furniture had suffered under his master's whims. Katze had lost his most important possession and modified into a human tool just so that the elites could laze around and enjoy themselves.

But to her surprise, Katze revealed neither surprise nor shock to what she had announced.  
"It's futile, give it up," He snapped almost boringly

* * *

Riki woke up once again on Iason's bed, his arms where Vaine had managed to cut was now bandaged and treated. Enraged that Iason had once again used the pet ring against him, he attempted again to yank it out from his finger to no avail. He jumped out of bed, feeling pretty energized. It should be past midnight and Iason was nowhere to be seen.

Either way, he knew that he had to escape. Screw Iason and his memories, screw him and his past, he wanted nothing more to get out and perhaps try and save Luke. He cursed himself, imagining the possibility of the whole Bison gang within those other capsules, fearing that he would even see Guy's face looking back at him from the oval glass.

Suddenly, a noise seemed to hammer into his head, a strange kind of static buzzing into his mind, as if it were trying to converse.

"What…?" He asked to no one in particular when the door activated and slid open, gaping wide and waiting.  
Riki stared suspiciously for a moment, curiosity getting hold of him as he walk through the open door. As soon as he was outside, the static in his head repeated, another door sliding open for him. He went curiously through it, soon finding himself outside of Iason's penthouse.

There was no one about and any thought of returning back was cut short as the door shuts and locked itself up as soon as Riki exited. Curious, he followed the static and the open doors. It wasn't long before he found himself in front of an elevator. It was one known to Riki that could only be used exclusively by the blondies. He had not given it much thought as it did not really concern him.

Once again, the elevator door slid open and invited him in. By now, bells were ringing at the back of his head, his instincts burning up in warning. But this had always been Riki's bad habits; never had he learned the meaning of curiosity killed the cat. He anxiously walked into the elevator, suspicious and on guard. The floor beneath him started to move, bringing him high up into the tower.

* * *

"Are you sure you should be here?" Raoul raised an eyebrow at Iason. They were now back in his lab, the capsules still sitting in the far corner of the room.  
"I should have ample time before Riki wakes…" Iason frowned. He had not planned to ever use the master ring again and was planning to take the function out of it but had not managed to. He had no choice but to use it against the mongrel, in hopes that he would calm down.

"Those are captive from the bombings, are they not?" Iason frowned at the capsules. Raoul nodded. "You know, Iason I still am not tolerant towards your favor in that mongrel from the slums, no matter what you say,"

"I came here to discuss about Jupiter, not Riki," Iason snapped him a warning look, telling him to not take the matter any further. Had he not found out that Raoul was also played by Jupiter's will, he would not be too quick to put aside their differences and trust the blondy again.

"Fine," Raoul sighed "But I have to consult you about one thing,"  
Iason raised an eyebrow.

"What do you know happened to Mimea?"

* * *

For a second, Mimea just stood there, shocked. She shook her head slightly, suddenly running up to Katze. "It will succeed!" She shouted "My plan is already in action!"

"Fight as you may, it will only lead to destruction, just like what had happened to Ceres," Katze coldly reminded her "What you planned to do will only bring the slums into deeper despair,"

"You don't understand!" Mimea yelled, running her fingers through her blonde hair  
"No, Mimea," Katze puffed a waft of smoke into the tensed air "You yourself is selfishly trying to reach towards your own foolish goals, are you not the same to those elites that you loathed so much?"

Mimea's eyes widen, never had she expected this question to be thrown before her.  
"I...Skullz is capable of rallying the slums...if they don't fight...we will,"  
"And pray tell, what had happened to that group you talk so proudly of?" Katze reminded her "What happened to them?"

Mimea narrowed her eyes. Her face was gritted with dirt, losing the once silky smoothness she had owned as a pet.  
"I can bring them down, Katze," Her voice was barely a whisper, shaky.

"I brought down Apatia and Mistral Park," She whispered "Even Guardian too,"  
"The people here are anxious for a revolution, no longer will they sit and rot in this slums, Katze,"

A sharp pain. Katze looked down to see a small but sharp blade driven into his torso. Blood sipped out of the wound when Mimea yanked the weapon out. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you who helped the elites…and then I will bring them down too,"

* * *

"Mimea?" Iason frowned. A familiar name…ah yes. The pet that have seduced Riki. Rage blossomed within him as he recalled but he contained it effortlessly. "What about her?"

"They…those captives when asked about their leader kept spouting her name….it's impossible is it?" Raoul frowned  
Yet before Iason could reply, his terminal watch beeped in attention. David appeared on the hologram screen, looking very worried indeed.

"Master!" He was almost at the verge of tears "I have lost master Riki…I had only turned away for a second…and he is nowhere in the house!"  
Iason frowned. That is impossible. He had made sure to lock the room that Riki was in, and furthermore, Riki did not know how to open the front door. Yet why…?

Wasting no time, Iason looked into Riki's locator embedded into his ring and was startled at where the mongrel was.

"Jupiter!" He gritted his teeth, rising immediately to his feet.

* * *

_**Ahhhhhhhh. I totally scraped the first draft of this chapter and rewrite the whole thing again! Planned this so long ago but I still feel a little unconfident about this chapter...so tell me what you think. ;w;  
Oh and about the basement in Guardian, if you do not know what it is about I suggest you to go read the novel as I don't think I will be explaining anything about it in here. Thanks for reading and see you next chapter~~**_


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